Divide and Conquer
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, 1x2, 3x4, Quatre and Duo have trouble adjusting to their new school, fortunately they find friends to help them.
1. Part 1

_Category:_ Yaoi, anime, Gundam Wing, AU (alternate universe)  
_Warnings:_ none  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Complete Archive:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 1_

They came during the middle of the school year, on the same day, but they had never met before. Neither wanted to be there, and both were nervous when they were directed to the headmaster's office. Their looks garnered them stares both hostile and interested, but none friendly, and by the time the two boys were seated before the closed door, both were nervous.

Quatre Winner sat quietly, pale hands folded in his lap as he stared at his knuckles as if they would explain why he was there. But he already knew.

Scrawny was the word his father had used as he'd stood before the man's desk, watching him pace. Not to mention passive, but Quatre was certain the man would never say that out loud, since he'd be contradicting his own judgment. Having been born into a pacifist family, Quatre was naturally passive, to a point, and having a father who was used to people jumping at his orders did nothing to make the boy outspoken.

He hadn't been able to say a word in his defense when he'd been given notice of his departure. He'd simply stood there and taken the harsh words before being escorted out of the house.

Fingering the straight cuffs of his white shirt, Quatre couldn't really find fault with his father's accusations. He _was_ thin, and he hadn't excelled at any sports. He was a musician, a poet, a thinker, not the brawny boy his father must have hoped to get from his only son.

With thirty sisters, Quatre was his father's pride and joy. At least until he'd reached the age of fifteen and the man had realized his son wasn't filling out.

What could he possibly say in his defense? He'd tried to be athletic, had gone to the schools his father had sent him to, had joined the courses assigned to him. Yet his physique remained similar to his mother's, slender and pale. And short.

Although he hadn't given up on the hope that he might yet get a growth spurt, Quatre knew he would never be the athletic, macho son his father wanted.

He glanced at the boys walking past the window to the office, and he sighed as his eyes moved over them. No school was going to make him into an athlete. All his father had done by sending him here was make certain that he would be miserable for another year.

This school advertised teams of all sorts, from football, which was its main attraction, to tennis. It was evident from the students that only the best were allowed into the school, and Quatre knew the moment he'd entered the door that his father had paid dearly to ensure his torture.

He stared down at his hands, wallowing in his pity for another thirty seconds. Then he gave it up and he looked to the other boy in the room.

He had spent years getting used to this sort of thing, so he could no longer feel sorry for himself. Looking at the boy seated across from him, he felt compassion and reminded himself that it could be worse. He could be dressed in a priest's outfit with a braid of hair down to his waist.

Drumming his fingers on his knees, Duo nodded absentmindedly to the blonde boy sharing the room with him.

He didn't want to look at the other boy since he knew he wouldn't be here long and the boy had a nice aura to him. He was sure he could like him if he tried and had no intention of making a friend for such a short period of time.

It wasn't that he didn't think he could make it in a school of this sort, since he was athletic enough. No, that had nothing to do with it. He knew his stay would be short because he was only being let in out of charity and charity never lasted.

Having grown up in an orphanage run by the state, Duo Maxwell was well acquainted with the dark side of people. He'd seen them all in his time and he knew by the gazes he'd drawn during his trip through the halls that the school was not for him.

Oh, he was smart enough to make those jocks look like idiots in the classroom, but that mattered little when one was going to be playing against them. Sports were fine so long as the rules were followed, but he knew from experience that beating a guy who weighed twice as much was a bad idea. He could always play to lose, but he never did that since it meant lying to himself.

He smirked when he saw one of the boys staring through the office window at him.

He just knew he was in for trouble. But he was going to stick it out until he was either discharged from the school or carried out on a stretcher. He'd given his word when the church that ran the orphanage had been given the grant. One boy was to receive a free pass through the state's most illustrious institution and he'd been that lucky boy. There was no way he'd give up without a fight. He couldn't forget the others who'd missed this opportunity.

- - -

There was no justice.

Wufei Chang understood that the school was packed to the brim and that as one of the few students with a single room, his was needed. That didn't change the fact that he'd requested, and paid for, a room to himself. It was true that he'd be reimbursed, for what little that mattered since his family had money enough, but he would now have to share his room.

He wasn't selfish, that had nothing to do with it. No, it was the fact that he needed privacy and silence for his meditations, which were so important to his state of mind. Without being able to calm himself daily, he'd no doubt wreck havoc on the idiots that abounded in the school.

When he'd first come there, he'd been satisfied that the curriculum was challenging to a point and that there would be no irritating females to distract him from his studies. But upon arrival, he'd quickly found that while there were challenging courses, there were also classes for idiots. In other words, courses that enabled brainless boys who only excelled at sheer strength to graduate. And that meant there were plenty of simpletons in the school.

Still, he'd been content there for more than two years and the prospect of a third year hadn't looked gloomy; until now. He'd been notified that his room was now a double one and that his new roommate would be arriving this afternoon. Needless to say, he was infuriated and no amount of meditation had alleviated that. He simply didn't understand why the new student had to be placed with him when there was a vacant room right next to his.

Obviously, money wasn't the issue. He'd been informed that the room was already assigned to someone. That meant it was prestige, which irritated him even more. Wufei came from a prestigious enough family that had a strong sense of honor and he refused to believe he was being put out while a new student would get the vacant room to himself.

It took hours for him to calm down, and even then he was still fuming about it when the time came around for his new roommate to arrive. That was when the faculty man belatedly informed him that he was going to be placed with an American.

- - -

"Winner, this is your room. I trust things have been arranged for your arrival, but if you find anything amiss don't hesitate to inform me."

The man nodded to the blonde boy and watched him enter the room. Then he turned to Duo and stepped to the side, knocking smartly on the next door.

Duo's eyes widened when a Chinese boy answered with dark, furiously glowing eyes. He fought an urge to groan and did his best to remain calm as the man introduced them.

"Wufei, this is your roommate, Duo Maxwell." He watched as the two boys stared at each other for a moment then turned sharply on his heels and walked away.

'_Well isn't that great,'_ Duo thought. _'They don't even try to be polite to me, and they stick me with this guy.'_

He managed a slight smile as he nodded to the boy who stood still in the doorway. "Nice to meet you, Wufei."

The boy didn't answer and Duo felt himself getting tense as he fought a surge of anger. They'd just met, so there was no excuse for the boy's attitude. But he forced himself to stay calm, his smile widening a bit. "Can I come in?"

Wufei flinched at what he assumed to be a sarcastic question. He turned away and entered the room. He sat at his desk as he watched the boy follow, shutting the door behind him.

"That is your side," said Wufei, glaring as he watched the boy set his bag on the bed.

He'd never get used to having his domain intruded upon, and he was determined to dislike the longhaired boy. Yes, he had definitely noticed the braid and he took it to be evidence of a lack of discipline he could imagine would drive him crazy within a day.

"Thanks, Wufei," Duo said lightly as he carried his bag to the dresser and started to unpack.

It was strange to have someone glaring at him when he hadn't done anything wrong yet, but he wasn't going to try to figure the boy out. The only thing he'd heard about Chinese people had said that they were serious and honor bound, and stereotypically ritualistic – whatever that meant. It didn't help him now that he found himself sharing a room with a black-eyed boy who'd obviously already decided to hate him.

Duo stowed his belongings and took a deep breath. Then he turned to meet Wufei's gaze.

They stared at each other for a full minute before Duo gave in to his need for movement, breaking the look and he walking to his bed. With his legs folded under him, he gave a calculating look at the boy. He frowned when he realized it wasn't going to work. He simply couldn't keep silent.

"You know," he said slowly, noticing that the boy's eyes narrowed the moment he spoke. "I haven't done anything to you. You don't have to glare at me like that."

Shock, that was what went through Wufei as he blinked at the violet-eyed boy. It wasn't the crude comment he'd expected from an American, and the boy was being polite enough.

Not sure if he had misjudged him or not, Wufei found himself pausing as he wondered why he'd automatically disliked the boy. Then he knew; it was the room. He glared at the floor for a moment, then he managed to give the boy a nod. "Sorry."

It hurt to say, and Wufei turned quickly and opened one of his textbooks as if he had homework to do. A pitiful excuse, but when he glanced over his shoulder, he found the boy heading into the room's adjoining bathroom. Another glance showed the closet open and he nodded to himself as he realized the boy was changing into the school's uniform.

'_Discipline is a good trait,'_ Wufei thought slowly, _'I may survive this yet.'_

- - -

"He's killing me."

Trowa smirked at the Chinese boy's wild expression, watching him pace about the small room. It wasn't the first time a student had gotten to Wufei, but he knew they had only shared a room for one night. He couldn't imagine what could have happened in such a short period of time to make Wufei so...flustered.

"Wufei," said Heero, "you're pacing."

Wufei stopped suddenly. He groaned and clenched his hands into fists before glaring at Heero. "I tell you I've never met someone like this. He's..."

Throwing his hands up, he began to pace again, stalking back and forth in front of the two boys' beds.

"What exactly did he do?" asked Trowa.

He continued to smirk as he took in Heero's raised eyebrow. He wasn't the only one enjoying their friend's tirade. Wufei glared at him then looked away, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well?" Trowa prodded.

"He smiles at me."

Heero snorted and Wufei rounded, glaring daggers at the Japanese boy and gritting his teeth.

"You don't understand," Wufei said quickly, feeling the need to defend himself. "He smiles constantly. Like he likes me. And he talks so much - he never shuts up!"

"Sounds serious," Heero said with a deadpan expression. His cobalt blue eyes glinted when Trowa smirked and his own lips twitched. "Maybe he wants to be your friend."

"I have to meet him," Trowa put in, his voice toneless as he was the new recipient of a black-eyed glare. "Any friend of Wufei's...."

"He is _not_ my friend!"

"You're getting worked up over this," said Heero. "Just tell him to leave you alone."

Wufei's eyes widened as he turned sharply to stare at Heero. For a moment he didn't move, then he blinked and turned on his heel. "Fine, I will."

Trowa didn't shift until the door was shut behind the irate yet determined boy. Then he looked to Heero. "I've never seen him so bad."

Having been in the school for a year now, Trowa had known the Chinese boy for a while and had seen his rants before. But something was different about this one. "I get the feeling he doesn't mind the boy as much as he's pretending to."

"That's what angers him," Heero said, nodding as he turned back to his desk, fingers flying over his laptop. "You know Wufei, any softness is a sign of weakness. I'd say he likes the boy."

"That way?" asked Trowa. Heero turned and pinned him with a stare, but he shrugged. "It would explain his reaction."

"No. Wufei hates women, but he hates men more."

The conversation was over when Heero turned away again, but he hesitated over Trowa's words. Heero had been sharing a room with the boy since he'd arrived a year ago, but he'd known Wufei for longer. He was almost positive the Chinese boy had no homosexual tendencies, but he wondered why Trowa had thought of it.

Trowa was quiet by nature as was he, but he had the feeling there was a reason behind the silence and emotionless tone. Thinking of his own reaction to puberty, he wondered if the green-eyed boy wasn't gay as well.

While it wasn't a topic discussed in public, there were a number of boys at the school who were openly gay. The fact that Trowa had never hinted at his sexual orientation now made sense to him. He was surprised that he could have missed something so obvious.

Heero Yuy prided himself on his observational skills and he hadn't thought it possible for anything to get by him. Yet here he was, realizing that he didn't even know if the boy he'd called friend for a year was straight. Not that they really talked about their feelings, but it was still something he felt he should have noticed.

As for himself, he'd known for years. The knowledge had come to him when he'd been kissed by a girl at one of the basketball games in junior high. She'd caught him outside the locker room and had held him before he could react. He hadn't been as strong then, and she was much older and at least a foot taller.

She was still an attractive girl and he'd known from his complete lack of reaction that he was not interested in the female sex. Of course, he'd never looked at males either, but if it wasn't girls the alternative was obvious.

Looking to Trowa, who was now at his desk, his eyes narrowed as he wondered if his guess was accurate. Within minutes, however, he decided to save the guessing for another time as he quickly realized he had no evidence one way or the other. The fact that Trowa hadn't been bothered by the thought of their friend being gay didn't mean _he_ was gay. All it meant was that he was tolerant of gays.

Heero turned back to his computer and blanked his errant thoughts, focusing on the report he was writing.

- - -

It was worse than he'd thought, as unlikely as that seemed. Quatre had never gone to an all-boy school before and while he had been expecting harassment because of his looks, he was unprepared for the way the boys stared at him. It wasn't all or even a majority, but three boys was enough to make him very uncomfortable. He barely kept from blushing.

Locker rooms were the same in any school and he'd changed clothing with other boys before, but not with them watching him do it. By the time he and the rest of the class filed into the gym, he was certain he'd set a new record in speed. Or maybe a close second.

He spotted the boy from the day before already outside the room. He hadn't even noticed him, having been distracted, but he recognized the braid immediately. Feeling as if they had something in common, he found himself sidling closer to where the boy stood away from the main group.

Arms folded over his chest, Duo nodded to the blonde boy before glaring again at the court as he waited for the instructor. He'd come very close to getting himself expelled and it was his first day. That was simply too much. He was determined to control his anger, so he pointedly ignored the boy who'd had the audacity to pull his hair.

He noticed that the blonde boy was closer to him than to the other students, and he looked at him for a second before glancing to the group. It didn't take long for him to spot three pairs of eyes on the boy and he couldn't fight his anger any longer. Turning, he gave the surprised blonde a quick smile.

"The name's Duo," he said, softly enough so no one else would hear him. "You're Winner, right?"

"Quatre," the blonde answered with a relieved smile.

He was relieved to have someone who knew his name, even if it was a person he'd just met. While he couldn't be sure if they'd be friends or not, it was comforting nevertheless.

"Well, Quatre, how do you like this school so far?" The blonde made an expression of extreme distaste and Duo let out a soft laugh. "Yeah."

"Hey newbie!"

Both boy's turned slowly, Quatre frowning and Duo glaring as they looked to see who it was. A tall boy stepped to them and Quatre blinked in surprise when Duo let out a whispery growl. The longhaired boy was glaring daggers and he was surprised by the violence he could see in his face. Turning back to the advancing boy, he let out a silent sigh as he spotted the instructor.

"All right class, we have two new students." With a dull expression, the man barely glanced at the two boys. His gaze swept to the bleacher behind them. "Yuy, they're on your team. It'll even things out. Do what you can with them."

"Yes sir."

Heero rose from his seat on the bleachers and moved toward the court, his eyes going over the two newcomers. He didn't mind the handicap being placed on his team since he saw it as a way to increase the difficulty of winning.

- - -

They'd never won by so much. By the end of the game, Heero had no choice but to admit the two boys worked very well together, and they worked well with him, too. He was even introduced to a strategy he'd never seen before as the American quickly took to guarding his own teammate. It made sense after he realized what the boy was doing.

As was the custom at the school, the _'newbies'_ were taking the brunt of the other team's players. This consisted of nearly continuous fouls. The instructor never called them unless someone was seriously injured.

Although he didn't like the tradition, Heero had grown accustomed to it, so when the blonde boy was knocked down twice in a row, he bit back his anger and continued with the game. Obviously the longhaired boy didn't take to the treatment and he moved fast. Heero was actually resigned to give him grudging respect as the boy _was_ fast, enough so that the opponents had trouble catching him. Add to that the fact that he'd taken the defensive near the blonde, and Heero found himself paying the boy more attention than the game.

His first thought had been irritation as he assumed the boy didn't know how to play, but when the longhaired boy blocked a shove intended for the blonde he caught on in a hurry.

With his back covered, the pale boy actually showed some promise, as he too was a fast and an accurate shooter. As the unofficial head of his team, Heero quickly realized that the boy would no doubt be better if he wasn't knocked down so often. That was when he decided to find out what skills the other boy had and he subbed one of the boys from the sidelines to replace the blonde.

It was actually intriguing how quickly the longhaired boy switched strategies, automatically going to the offensive as he proved very efficient at stealing balls. The fact that he was shorter than most of the players gave him as much of an advantage as his speed and he made every shot he threw. There was still the problem of the other team's thugs as they did their damnedest to knock him down with every chance they got, but the boy didn't stay down long.

No, the two weren't bad players and what he'd expected to be a handicap quickly proved to be a bonus to his side. While neither of the boys was tall enough to block their opponents, there were other players on the team who were and their lead soon skyrocketed.

After the game, Heero slowed as he waited for the two boys to enter the locker room. As they approached the doors, however, he saw the brown-haired boy grab the other's wrist, halting him. The boy whispered into the blonde's ear and Heero's eyes narrowed when he saw the pale boy blush lightly. Then the two made a beeline to the instructor.

"What are you two doing?" the man demanded, frowning when the boys moved to him. "Get in there and shower."

"Sir," said Duo, "Winner needs to speak with the headmaster immediately and he's requested my presence."

Eyes wide, Duo waited as he gave his most respectful expression. For a moment he didn't think they'd get permission, but then something flickered in the man's brown eyes and he turned to look down at Quatre.

"You're Winner?" Blinking sharply, he nodded. "All right then, you're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," Duo said softly, inclining his head as if in gratitude as he shot a small smile to the boy beside him.

He'd expected as much when he'd seen how the boy had been treated the day before. Neither hesitated as they left the gym.

"Duo," said Quatre, "are we really going to talk to the headmaster?"

Halting, Duo stepped to the side of the crowded hallway so they wouldn't be shook around as he looked at the boy's wide eyes. "You are. I never lie, Quatre. You need to talk to him."

"About what?" Quatre asked, swiping his bangs out of his eyes as he frowned.

"What are you, Arabic, right?" At the boy's surprised nod, he shrugged. "You have an odd name. Anyway, you're going to go in there and tell him it's against your religion to change in front of others. Tell him you must insist on being allowed to change and shower in your own room."

Duo glared suddenly, shaking his head. "It'll work. It even worked for me and I don't have a name in this school."

"But why?" asked Quatre. "I mean, I'd rather have the privacy but I don't-"

"You don't think those three guys were knocking you over just to be spiteful, do you?"

Quatre looked uncomfortably but honestly confused and Duo let out a soft groan, catching hold of the boy's shoulders. "God, you did. Okay, listen. Just trust me, all right? If you go in there and act all arrogant and important and tell him what you want, you'll be given a pass from the locker room. Of course, the instructor might not hear about it for a while, but if any of them try to give you trouble just tell them that you've already talked with the headmaster about it."

The boy was vehement and Quatre found himself staring in surprise. Then he nodded quickly. "Okay. Thank you, Duo."

"Don't mention it," said Duo. "Consider it common courtesy."

He shot a glance down the hall and glared suddenly. He quickly gave Quatre a light shove in the right direction. "Get going. Oh yeah, my room's next to yours on the right. Let me hear from you, okay?"

The boy smiled and nodded before turning to wade through the mixing students. Duo watched him go for a split second before ducking into the stream and disappearing with ease.

Heero frowned as he abruptly lost sight of the boy. He'd intended to speak to him about joining the actual team and he was confused by the boy's actions. Then he glared as he noticed the boys behind him. They called themselves _Rauders_ since they'd been accused of being marauders by one of the intelligent students.

Remembering that boy, Heero fumed. The boy hadn't lasted long in the school and no one knew exactly when he left. As for the _Rauders_, there were four of them and they were the biggest bullies the school had to offer, literally with two of them on the football team and the other two alternating between football and basketball. Heero had no patience for them off the court and they were obviously to blame for the new boy's disappearing act.

One of them noticed Heero's glare and grinned down at him. "What's the matter, Yuy? You look like someone just shoved a stick up your ass."

He gave a high laugh at his own joke. Then he looked to his comrades and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Mike, what's up?"

"Can't find him. I swear I saw him just a second ago, but I don't see him now."

Having turned, Heero was stalking down the hall when he halted abruptly at the boy's reply. His hands curled into fists, but he began moving again without giving in to his need for violence. Despite popular opinion, he didn't fight that often. Not unless the provocation was extreme.

He spotted Trowa ahead of him and his steps quickened till he caught up with him, walking in silence to their next class, which they had together.

- - -

The knock was soft, and for a minute Wufei wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it. Then the sound came again and he moved to the door, pulling it open to frown at the boy who stood there. Pale blue-green eyes looked at him in surprise, and the blonde boy gave a subtle smile.

"Hello," said Quatre. "I'm looking for Duo Maxwell. Is this the right room?"

"He's not here." Wufei's frown deepened when Quatre's face dropped and he was surprised when the pale boy took a quick step back.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Wondering if the boy was going to hit him or if he always looked so angry, Quatre took another step toward his own door.

"Sorry I bothered you," he offered quickly.

"Wait," said Wufei. He realized he was still angry about the altercation that morning and forced himself to calm down. There was no excuse to take it out on strangers.

"Do you want to leave him a message or something?" he asked.

He noticed that the boy relaxed a bit and wondered if he really looked that intimidating.

- - -

Heero's brows lowered when Trowa halted abruptly and he nearly ran into the tall boy. Then he noticed that his friend's attention was caught on something further down the hall. He followed Trowa's gaze, smirking when he saw Wufei.

He recognized the blonde boy from the gym and couldn't help but shake his head. Wufei actually seemed to be talking to him. The Chinese boy was leaning against the open doorway to his room, arms folded over his chest as he spoke and Heero could tell from the way the blonde boy's hand was over his mouth that he was either smothering laughter or hiding a smile.

"Do you think that's him?" asked Trowa.

Heero raised an eyebrow at the odd quality to Trowa's voice. He stared at him for a minute, then shrugged. "Maybe. Wufei seems to be getting along with him."

"Yes, he does..."

Trowa blinked and straightened suddenly, turning to look at Heero with sparkling green eyes. "Well, let's go meet his friend, shall we?"

"I've met him," Heero said in a careless tone, taking in the boy's frown before looking away. "But I don't know his name. He was in first period basketball with me, he wasn't that bad."

A sideways glance found those green eyes on the blonde again and Heero remembered his thoughts from earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if he was just imagining the interest he thought he saw. "Come on."

- - -

Smiling, Quatre shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure _what_ I expected from the courses here, but there were only five people in my history class."

"That's because it was an advanced course," Wufei muttered.

He wasn't sure how they'd gotten onto the topic of the school's curriculum, but he found it easy to talk with the boy. "Most of the students here are so stupid it's ridiculous. There are so few of us who come here to learn that the majority of the school is modeled for the athletes."

"Well," Quatre said softly as he took in the boy's sneer, "it _is_ supposed to be the best athletic school around. I guess they have to lower the standards of some of the courses or the students would never graduate."

"Some still don't," Wufei scoffed. "I've seen students who have to be at least twenty still going to this school. These people have no motivation."

"I guess they're content where they are," said Quatre. "After all, the older they get the stronger they get and if all they care about is sports it would make sense for them to stay. That way they would never have to face a world where they aren't the best. I'm sure their peers look up to them."

Wufei frowned at Quatre's thoughtful expression. "I don't try to understand them. All I need to do is look at them and I know as much as I want to know. More even."

"What are you talking about?"

Wufei froze for a moment before slowly turning to meet Heero's gaze, eyes narrowing at the smirk on the boy's face. "Idiots."

"Is this your new roommate?" asked Trowa. He nodded to the blonde before shifting his eyes back to Wufei.

"No," Wufei said sharply. "This is Quatre Winner."

Heero continued to eye him, and Wufei glared a bit as he gestured to the blonde boy. "Quatre, this is Heero Yuy, and Trowa Barton."

Blinking at Heero, Quatre gave a slow nod. "It's nice to know your name."

Not sure if he wanted to be reminded of his ill performance on the court, he took a subtle step toward his room. "Well, I should really be going now. I have homework and-"

"Quatre!"

Smiling widely, Duo made his way through the thinning hall to stop beside the blonde boy. Then he noticed Wufei and his eyes narrowed for a second before his face smoothed, devoid of any emotion. He turned his back on Wufei and leaned close to Quatre, whispering softly in the boy's ear so he wouldn't be overheard.

Quatre wasn't sure what was wrong, but he sent a quick smile at Wufei as he turned to unlock his door. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

They were still watching him when Duo pushed him into his room and shut the door behind them. Staring after the two boys, Heero and Trowa exchanged glances before turning to Wufei.

"That," Wufei muttered, his eyes narrowed to slits, "is my roommate."

"Him?" asked Heero.

Wufei blinked sharply at the odd quality to Heero's voice and gave his friend a close look. "You know him?"

Heero gave a slow nod, his dark blue eyes locked on the closed door.

"What's his name?" Trowa asked, curiosity aroused by the anger radiating from the Chinese boy. "Wufei?"

"Maxwell."

"He's angry with you," said Heero.

He turned and raised an eyebrow at Wufei. "I thought he liked you."

Wufei didn't answer as he turned to his own door. He paused when Heero caught his wrist and glared at the floor. "I have work to do."

"What happened?" asked Trowa.

"What did you do?" Heero asked, his voice overriding Trowa's as he looked at the uncomfortable boy in surprise. Wufei rounded quickly and glared at him.

"Nothing," said Wufei. "I just told him to leave me alone."

Trowa let out a soft groan, and Wufei scowled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Wufei, you didn't..." Smirking suddenly, Trowa turned and crossed the hall to his own room, his soft laughter reaching them as he unlocked the door. "You've dug your own grave."

"This is your fault," Wufei muttered as he saw that Heero also seemed amused. "You're the one who said I should just tell him."

"I didn't think you'd do it," Heero shrugged, following him into his room. "I thought you liked him. You were making a big deal out of nothing and I reacted accordingly."

"What? I don't like him," Wufei protested. "Why would I?"

Heero raised an eyebrow at him and he glared, gritting his teeth. "Anyway, all I did was tell him to stop talking."

"And?" asked Heero.

"And nothing. He's leaving me alone."

Wufei glanced away as he sat in his chair.

"Well," said Heero. "I guess you got what you wanted then, didn't you."

Heero smirked and didn't bat an eyelash at the dark glare his friend shot him. He had realized he was right as soon as the longhaired boy had seen Wufei. His friend had actually flinched when those violet eyes glared at him.

"Shut up, Heero."

"Tell me, Wufei, before you made him angry, what was he like?"

"I don't know," Wufei admitted, shrugging when the dark-haired boy sat on his bed. "Cheerful maybe, he smiled a lot."

"You said he never stopped talking," Heero reminded him.

He wasn't sure why he was interested, but he'd never met anyone capable of getting to Wufei so easily. He'd also been caught off guard himself, by the boy's bright smile. He couldn't understand why that smile would bother Wufei so much. "Was that the reason he bothered you?"

"I don't know," Wufei muttered. "He just seemed so...cheerful. Heero, I don't want to talk about it."

Wufei blinked and his eyes narrowed suddenly. "Why are you so curious? Where did you meet him?"

With an inscrutable look in his eyes, Heero stood slowly and moved toward the door.

"Heero?" asked Wufei. "Where are you going?"

"I have work to do, too," Heero said casually.

Fighting a surprisingly powerful urge to smile, Heero nodded to the wide-eyed boy before opening the door and heading to his own room. He wasn't about to tell Wufei that _he_ liked the boy's smile. Besides that, he enjoyed irritating his friend. He didn't have a playful streak, but he took perverse pleasure in the way Wufei's face grew pinched when he was angry.

_- - -  
TBC_


	2. Part 2

_Category:_ Yaoi, anime, Gundam Wing, AU (alternate universe)  
_Warnings:_ minor violence  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Complete Archive:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 2_

"Duo..."

Quatre could tell the boy was angry by the way he jerked the lock on the door. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Duo muttered, staring at the flimsy lock before glancing over to the pale boy. "Don't mind me, I'm not happy unless I've got something to complain about."

He gestured to the second bed in the room and raised an eyebrow. "Can I?"

"Oh, of course," said Quatre.

Smiling, Quatre sat on the bed across from him. It was surprising how nice it was to have a friend in his room, and he realized he wasn't used to having people over. When he went away to schools, he tended to stick to himself.

"Your roommate seems nice," he commented.

It was said in such an honest tone that Duo shoved down the vicious reaction that tried to make its way past his lips. "Yeah, he's a real character. Tell me, what classes are you taking?"

"Well," Quatre hedged, "after basketball, I'm taking regular courses."

He didn't know what level Duo was at, and he remembered his discussion with Wufei well. Hopefully, Duo wasn't one of those in the lower courses. Quatre didn't like to think that he'd made fun of what was turning out to be a friend.

"I'll have to take a language course," he continued carefully, "but I haven't decided which one yet."

"Kinda vague, aren't you?" Duo smirked when the boy flushed lightly. "Come on, Quatre, it's a simple enough question. I just wanted to know if you're in any of the courses I'm going to be taking. Right now, basketball's my only gym class, so I'm taking some technical courses. Physics, Chemistry, you know."

"Really?" asked Quatre. "I didn't know they _had_ a science program."

It was obvious that Duo was in the higher classes, and Quatre felt bad that he'd doubted him. Still, there wasn't any way he could have know better, what with the majority of the classes he'd been in that day having been so small.

"If I didn't already have my classes scheduled, I wouldn't mind taking some of those. I've always been interested in science."

Duo gave him a skeptical look, and Quatre shook his head firmly. "Really, I'm better at business courses, but I'm good at math."

"Oh, I'm not doubting you," Duo said quickly, "I'm just surprised you didn't know about the school's courses already. Didn't you look at them before you came here?"

"No, my father picked my classes for me."

That was a new one on him, but Duo wasn't sure if he should comment on it. The blonde boy had dropped his eyes and he looked uncomfortable. Deciding to drop it, Duo shoved down his curiosity and stood suddenly, Quatre's gaze flying to him.

"What time's your next class?" asked Duo.

Quatre blinked and shook his head quickly, sorry that the boy had to leave so soon. He wasn't looking forward to having a room to himself. Sure, in the past he'd roomed alone all of the time, but he felt so out of place here that he was wary of being left alone.

"Actually," said Quatre, "I'm finished. I've been scheduled for lunch last period. That's why I came back here."

"Perfect, me too." Duo hid his smile when the boy looked both relieved and happy, and gestured toward the door. "Even if I hadn't been scheduled it, I was planning to eat this period, anyway. See, my classes were scheduled for _me_ too, but I changed them."

Quatre seemed surprised so Duo explained, knowing the boy would probably do likewise once he knew how. "They put me in the most basic courses they had, it was embarrassing. So I talked to the counselor and he has some tests. If you pass them, they'll let you into the upper courses without making you take the baby ones first."

"I didn't know that, how did you find out?" Quatre asked, excitement thrilling through him. Here was a chance to get around his father's work and to choose classes that suited _him_ instead.

"I've got my ways." Giving the boy a mysterious look, Duo grinned as he unlocked the door and tossed his hand toward it. "Come on, I'll show you the library after we eat. You can find out _anything_ there...if you know how, that is."

- - -

The lunchroom was very empty when they reached it, but Duo had learned that there was a football class scheduled for that period, so he wasn't surprised.

Unlike public schools, where lunch was mandatory and consisted of cooks who dished out slop, this kitchen resembled a restaurant. There were menus on the wall above the counter displaying the different things available and Quatre's eyes widened when he saw how large the selection was. Duo didn't seem phased though, and he enjoyed the pale boy's indecision.

"What's the matter, can't make up your mind?" Duo asked, his eyes laughing at the boy as Quatre stared up at the menus.

"I've never had most of this stuff," Quatre said quietly, glancing at the longhaired boy. "There aren't any pictures."

"Oh, that's cool. I have to admit, I haven't tried most of it either. But it smells good. Here," he said, grabbing a tray off the stand near the corner and handing it to Quatre.

He picked up two of the double cheeseburgers that were set out and put one on the boy's tray. "This is easier than asking for something up there. Just grab whatever you see that you like."

"Right," said Quatre.

Taking a large salad that was beneath the plastic roof of the counter, he placed it beside the silver wrapped burger and sent Duo a quick smile. "I guess we'll find out what that stuff is eventually, right?"

"If I'm here long enough," Duo muttered under his breath. He quickly smiled when Quatre looked at him. "Hey, they have a cappuccino machine."

Quatre blinked in surprise when Duo moved away from him and he frowned at what he was sure he'd heard the boy say. But he hadn't been brought up to pry and he knew it wasn't his place to ask.

He was about to follow the boy when he heard someone move behind him and he gave a tentative smile when he saw it was Wufei. "Hi, so this is your lunch period too?"

Nodding, Wufei glanced from the blonde boy to Duo, who was standing some feet away, his dark eyes glinting. He decided to ignore him and looked to the blonde boy again.

"Most of the students have this period as a practice period," Wufei said, his eyes moving over the thinly populated room. "Then, there's football and that's a large percent right there since there are two teams."

"That's what Duo said," Quatre nodded, trying not to follow the boy's black eyes as they shifted over his shoulder again.

He was fairly sure Wufei was looking at Duo, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to let on how obvious Wufei was being. "Well, would you like to sit with us?"

The boy recoiled and if Quatre hadn't been bothered by the thought of him and Duo being angry with each other, he might have laughed.

"No," Wufei said quickly, turning back to the counter. "I'm eating with some friends."

"Oh, okay."

Quatre managed a slight smile as he nodded to the boy. Then he turned and walked to where Duo waited, not missing the way those violet eyes were narrowed right before being replaced by a blank expression.

"You really like him?" Duo asked slowly, watching as the blonde boy filled one of the disposable cups with coffee.

"Duo, I know you two don't like each other." Quatre nodded when the boy raised an eyebrow and turned to face him. "But he hasn't been anything but polite to me."

"Let's talk about it at a table," Duo said, his voice low as he could see the boy in question moving towards them. The blonde nodded and they paid for their food before choosing a small booth along the wall.

"Okay." Setting down his food, Duo unwrapped the burger and took a bite, not speaking until he'd swallowed. "You and me are friends, right? I mean sure, we just met but I like you."

"I'd like to be your friend," Quatre smiled, his eyes wide as he nodded quickly.

"Great. Then I guess it won't hurt anything to tell you why I'm not happy with my roommate right now. Not that you can't like him, I'm not trying to say something stupid like that, I just figure you can hear my side first."

Duo looked a bit uncomfortable, but Quatre was more focused on the straightforward way his eyes met him.

"Alright," he said, taking a sip of his coffee as he waited for the boy to continue.

While Quatre was accustomed to his father's straightforward way of speaking, it was interesting to find it in someone his own age.

"Well," said Duo, "I'll be the first to admit that I can be odd at times, but I'm usually told it's easy to get along with me. Wufei, though, he hated me from the moment he saw me."

Remembering the way the boy had glared at him, Duo shook his head and took another bite before continuing. "I thought I'd smoothed over whatever was wrong with him, but then this morning he just..."

Quatre's eyes widened and he leaned forward, certain he was about to hear that the Chinese boy had done something truly awful. Although he liked the boy from what he'd seen of him, he _did_ remember how intimidating his glare had been when he'd first answered the door.

"...he told me to shut up."

"That's all?!" Sitting back in his chair, Quatre scowled at the boy in front of him. "That's why you're mad at him?"

"You don't get it," Duo said, glaring as he stared at the boy, "I _wasn't_ talking."

The blonde looked completely confused and Duo sighed, shaking his head. "I know, it beats the hell out of me, too. I mean, I've been told I talk too much, and being told to shut up is nothing new to me, but...he didn't even have a reason to say it."

Having finished off his food, he wadded up the silver foil before taking a long drink from the tall cup in front of him.

"I actually thought we were getting along pretty good," he continued. "I mean, sure, he didn't say much, but I only saw him last night and this morning. Then, he goes out for about fifteen minutes and when he gets back he glares at me and tells me to shut up."

"Actually," said Duo, his eyes narrow as he glared at the table, "his exact words were to shut up and leave him alone."

"And you hadn't said anything?" Quatre asked softly.

He couldn't tie Duo's story to the quiet boy he'd met earlier, and he fought the urge to seek the black-haired boy out as if a second glance would reveal a different person.

"Hell no," Duo muttered. "I was just sitting on my bed, tying my shoes and in he comes, all angry at me. All I did was look up."

"Maybe you should talk to him. It might clear up whatever's bothering him." The boy across from him didn't seem too happy with his suggestion, and Quatre sighed. "Well, maybe there's some sort of misunderstanding."

"Forget it," said Duo. "I'm not speaking to him. Even if I end up rooming with him for the entire year."

Again, Quatre frowned at the words and decided that as Duo's 'friend', prying wouldn't be uncalled for. "Do you plan to leave the school before then?"

"Probably," Duo nodded.

His anger evaporating at the desolate look on Quatre's face. "But maybe not. I mean, this school isn't _that_ bad, right?"

"Then you aren't thinking of leaving because of Wufei?" asked Quatre.

"Him?!"

Duo laughed suddenly, his eyes sparkling as he leaned back and shook his head, folding his arms over his chest. "No way! I wouldn't run away just because one person makes me mad. No, I just figure something will probably happen and I'll end up leaving, that's all. This is the first school like this I've gone to, and so far, aside from you, I don't like anyone here."

It felt good to be the exception, and Quatre was a bit reassured. He had been surprised to think Duo might leave over such a small fight, and while he still didn't know _what_ exactly made Duo think he'd end up changing schools, at least it wasn't because of that.

"I know how you feel," said Quatre. "This isn't my type of school either."

- - -

There was a curfew of ten at the school, but it wasn't enforced and no one patrolled the halls to regulate the official lights-out policy. For this reason, Wufei was awake when the sound came.

Duo had shown up a few minutes before nine and the boy fell asleep with seeming ease, obviously not bothered by the lamp Wufei had on over his desk. Although he'd looked at the boy when he came in, he'd been ignored, so he decided to work off his frustrated emotions by doing homework. It didn't really help any, but it did get his mind off other things.

When he heard the knocking, he looked up for a second before continuing with what he was doing. There was no reason for him to concern himself since it hadn't come from his door. It wasn't until he heard the bed creak that he realized he wasn't the only one who'd heard the soft sound.

Duo was wide-awake in seconds, sitting up sharply. He didn't sleep deeply as a rule and his ears strained as he listened to the silence, a quick glance at Wufei revealing that the sound hadn't come from him. Then the tapping sounded and he knew what had woken him.

Wufei's eyes widened a bit when the longhaired boy glared and swung his legs over the bed, moving with surprising grace to the door. His bare feet didn't make a sound and Wufei had to admire the way he moved. Then he was startled as Duo suddenly cursed and unlocked the door, disappearing through it without so much as a glance towards him.

Getting to his feet, Wufei wasn't sure what to do, and he looked at the closed door with uncertainty.

Duo had known what was going on as soon as he'd heard the knocking coming from his right. His and Quatre's rooms were the last two on that side of the hall. Having inspected the locks the school provided, he'd been disgusted by how simple they were and while he doubted there were many in the school who could pick them, they would be easy to break.

As soon as he left his room, his suspicions were confirmed and his eyes narrowed when the dark-haired boy turned in surprise. Duo had his arms folded over his chest so his hands were hidden, and he knew he didn't look threatening at all. Raising an eyebrow at the boy, he leaned against the wall beside Quatre's door.

He'd been startled when the boy's door had opened, but Donald relaxed again when he saw who it was, recognizing the boy easily.

"Well hi, didn't mean to wake you up," he said, his voice rather high pitched for his age.

"What are you doing?" Duo asked, his expression carefully done so he looked curious. "It's late."

He knew what the tall boy was doing, but if there was a way to keep from resorting to violence, he was determined to try it. The boy didn't look especially bright.

"Don't you worry about me," said Donald.

He smiled as he looked over the longhaired boy, his brown eyes glinting and his lips moving to reveal a broken smile as one of his teeth had obviously been knocked out somehow. "You just go on back to bed."

"I can't do that," said Duo.

The boy didn't seem to get it, and Duo fought his irritation as he waited for him to make some sort of move. He could well imagine how Quatre was reacting right now and he hated the thought of the sweet boy being worried. He was just grateful he hadn't opened his door. While the pathetic lock couldn't have stopped the boy from entering, it seemed he was trying more passive methods at the moment.

"See," Duo continued, "that's my friend's room, and I'm sure he's too tired for visitors right now."

"Is he?" Donald let out a high pitched laugh that was surprisingly quiet in the deserted hall and raked a large hand through his black hair, making the short strands stand upright. "Well that's too bad, I was wanting to talk to him."

"Yeah," Duo nodded, "It's a real shame."

His teeth hurt from clenching them together and he wished more than anything the boy would just try to break down the door. Anything that would give him an excuse to hurt him.

Sure, the boy was big, but Duo had been aching for a fight since gym that morning when he'd seen the way Donald and his friends had stared at Quatre. He knew the type.

"I don't know, I would say he's probably awake _now_."

Duo's left eye twitched, but he kept his movement slow as he turned his head to look at the boy who walked towards them.

Also tall, he had reddish blonde hair that curled over his forehead and pale blue eyes. Duo recognized him immediately, and his body tensed as he was suddenly on the watch for any more of them. One he could handle without a weapon, maybe two, but if the entire gang showed up, he knew there'd be trouble.

"Just leave him alone," Duo warned, his voice low as he glared at the tall boy who came to stand beside his friend.

"Me?" The boy's mouth curved as he smirked and he shook his head slowly, eyes glinting. "Oh, I'm not interested in _him_ at all."

"My name's Travis," he said, his tone smooth as he extended his hand to Duo. "And you're Duo, is that right?"

Duo didn't answer. He was waiting for the boy to lay one finger on him, just one. That would be enough for him and then he could finish what the black-haired boy, Donald, had started.

"You aren't very polite," Travis said lightly, still smirking as he glanced at the boy beside him. "Donald here has been looking forward to speaking with your friend. It would be rude to interfere, and not wise either."

"I'm not wise," Duo said, his voice still low. "And I'm going to interfere."

The boy stepped towards him and it was all he could do not to smile in relief, his muscles tensed as he continued to wait.

Travis let his eyes fall over the thin black shirt and pants Duo had been sleeping in, and he smirked as he leaned his hands on the wall to either side of Duo's head. "You're a regular spit-fire, aren't you..."

"Why don't you try something and find out," Duo murmured, his eyes daring the boy to move.

"Hmm."

Staring into the blazing violet eyes inches from his, Travis smiled slowly. He glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye when Donald laughed, then he moved a hand to touch the boy's hair.

It wasn't much, but it was enough. Duo buried a fist in the boy's stomach, catching him completely off guard. He shoved Travis back when the taller boy threatened to crumple on top of him. His violet eyes glinted and he turned on Donald just as the black-haired boy stepped toward his fallen comrade in surprise.

It was a simple thing to knock him down. He punched the tall boy in the neck, those brown eyes widening as he struggled to breathe.

Travis had begun to recover, and Duo knelt by him as the boy rose to his knees. He used his elbow to knock him down again, the blow to the back of his head making him sag back to the floor.

Stepping back, Duo couldn't help but grin at the two boys lying on the floor, Donald's eyes wide as he gasped in hoarse breaths. He caught the stunned boy's gaze and gestured to where the other boy lay. His grin disappeared.

"Get him out of here before someone comes and I'll stop now. Otherwise," Duo drawled, smiling darkly down at the boy and knowing how humiliating it must be to accept threats from someone half his size, "I won't be held responsible for my actions."

- - -

Wufei nearly stood up again when Duo came back into the room. He'd heard muffled voices from the hall, but since none had been raised he hadn't felt the need to investigate. He was sure the American wouldn't have wanted him too since he obviously hated him now.

But the smile on Duo's face when he came back into the room caught him by surprise and he stared. Even when Duo looked at him, the violet-eyed boy didn't lose that smile. Wufei blinked in surprise when he was given a nod.

Rubbing his elbow absentmindedly, Duo moved to his desk. It had been wonderful to fight again and as quickly as Donald had removed his friend, he was sure there wouldn't be repercussions, at least not from the school. As in the old days, he scrawled a note on a piece of paper and ripped it from his notebook.

He pulled off the small ribbon he tied his hair with and smiled again. It didn't take long to roll the paper into a tube and he tied the black cloth around it, leaving the room again so he could slip it under Quatre's door.

He was sure the boy would know it was him, but there was pleasure to be found in the gesture. When he returned to his room, he locked the door and smiled at Wufei again, knowing the Chinese boy was probably confused. But he wasn't angry anymore, and he slept very well.

- - -

..- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -..

Quatre,

No worries. I've got your back.

Shinigami

..- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -..

Quatre reread the small note at least five times before he hid it away in the small box beneath his bed. It fit well on top of the pictures of his mother.

He hadn't known what to do when he'd heard the quiet knocking, but opening the door hadn't been an option.

Sitting on his bed, he rubbed the black ribbon between his fingers and smiled as he imagined Duo standing up for him. While he wasn't sure what had happened, he felt warm in the knowledge that he had a friend, a good one.

As he fell asleep, he reminded himself to ask the American what Shinigami meant.

_- - -  
TBC_


	3. Part 3

_Category:_ AU, Gundam Wing, Yaoi  
_Warnings_: none  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Complete Archive:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 3_

The showers were in the back of the room, lining the far wall. The tiling was pale gray, not quite white, the floor covered with squares of navy blue. A foot wide porcelain-gray barrier separated the showers from the actual changing area, three openings allowing people to travel between the two.

It was a large room, designed to allow interviews after games, so everything was well made. There were three aisles lined with lockers on each side as well as short benches covered in dark blue paint. In keeping with the school's colors, the room was almost too colorful.

The lights made the pale gray bright, but the dark floor stood out in defiance of typical rooms. Even the small desk the coach used during games was dark blue, the contrast being done so he was the first thing seen when people entered the double doors.

The man who taught the morning basketball course was Robert York, however, and he never entered the locker room. He was actually something of a joke at the school. Rumor had it that he was being replaced soon.

As a result, his previously lenient hands-off style of teaching had become worse. Now he simply made certain all of the students on his lists were present and then sent them onto the court. Shoddy, he usually showed up less than two minutes before class started, so he wasn't there when the morning students showed up.

There were nearly thirty students in the room by fifteen till eight since tardiness was not excusable. Whether the instructor was present or not didn't matter. The students were expected to be there on time. And, as a rule, they generally were. Anyone who was going to be late to a class didn't show up at all.

Since the locker rooms were used often, the lockers themselves were three high, the bottom for the morning students and the middle for the afternoon classes. The top rows were, of course, reserved for games. The lockers were fixed with removable locks issued to each student. The keys used were the same ones that unlocked their rooms, so two roommates could gain access to their lockers. As a result, few risked leaving possessions inside the lockers.

The boys carried their athletic uniforms to class with them, and the locker room was accepted to be off limits during classes to prevent anyone from tampering with their clothing. Though few bothered, since they all wore the same dark blue suits during school hours, the same uniforms for gym classes.

The boys piled through the double doors with talking and revelry that might have seemed odd considering the sober lines of their suits. They were from similar backgrounds, and most were around sixteen years old.

The few silent ones were eclipsed by those who had made friends during their time in the school. These had either chosen to avoid being taken into any of the groups, or were dismissed as wanting. Heero was one of the former.

His first year, he'd proven himself to be one of the better basketball players, and he was definitely not wanting in the eyes of his fellow students. Unfortunately for them, his view of them was not so accepting.

The few boys who made a daily greeting to him received a vague nod as he passed by on his way to his locker near the showers. He came empty handed to class, his key attached to the slim chain each student kept. Since he shared a room with Trowa, he had no reason to worry about his roommate taking his things.

Crouching to unlock his locker, he took his folded outfit. Then he put his back to the rest of the class and began dressing.

It was the sound of a loud laugh that made him glance over his shoulder to the two boys who entered into the bustling room of teens.

"Damn! What happened to you?" Hazel eyes shone, roving over the dark bruise that colored Donald's neck and a grin passed the boy's face. "Don't tell me that blonde did that."

Donald glared at him, his pale skin flushing with embarrassment and Mike scooted over just a bit so he could get to his locker. "Well? Give."

"I don't want to talk about it," Donald muttered.

He didn't have to look to know his friend was smirking at him. Mike would never let him live it down, having been taken down so easily by someone so much smaller than him. But he didn't actually feel as bad as he might have. After all, Travis had come in with him. The tall boy may not have had such an obviously mark of his loss, but he had been just as humiliated.

"On the contrary," Travis murmured, as if reading the boy's mind. "They should hear this."

His pale blue eyes flicked to Mike for a moment, assessing the boy's interest as well as his mocking of Donald. Then he shrugged off the midnight blue jacket of his suit, dropping it on the dark bench. "Boys, we have a problem here."

Movement caught his eye, and he nodded when Nicholas raised his head, odd grayish brown eyes glinting at him. Nicholas was usually the silent one, but Travis knew he was always up for a challenge.

Travis undid his white button up shirt and sighed. He waited while Mike had a nice laugh and made much of the light bruise on his stomach.

"Who did you guys go up against?" Mike asked, looking from Travis to the still embarrassed Donald.

His hands curled into fists and he flexed his arm, tensing his muscles as a grin curved his lips. "Next time you're getting your ass kicked, send him my way."

Despite his talk, he was impressed. Mike liked to think of himself as being the strong one, but Travis was much quicker than him. His bulky muscles might work to intimidate people, but even he couldn't stand in a fight against their leader.

"This isn't a joke," Travis said coldly. "He questioned our authority. I don't have to tell you how bad it would look if this got out."

He dressed as he spoke, keeping his voice low enough so only the three other boys could hear him. General discussion and movements kept his words from drifting, not that anyone was near them. The other students knew better than to enter their space and they had almost the entire aisle to themselves.

"It was Maxwell," he said. "Last night."

"You're shitting me." Mike's eyes flitted from Travis to Donald, then around the room. "The chick?"

"Damn American," Donald cursed suddenly. "That bastard..."

"Hey! I'm an American." Standing, Mike took a threatening step toward Donald, glaring until the tall boy shuffled back. "You got a problem with that?"

"Shut up," said Travis.

The large teen turned to look at him and he smiled slowly, his pale blue eyes glinting when Mike quickly closed his mouth.

"Better," he remarked. "And yes, it was him. But don't let that hair fool you, he hit hard, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He's a street-fighter."

"What does that mean?" Donald asked, bending so he could tie his sneakers. "A street fighter?"

"He fights in the streets, dumb-ass." Mike snorted, shaking his head. "So what? We're supposed to be afraid of him?"

"No, we pay him back, of course. But carefully. Don't underestimate this one." Travis paused for a moment, then Nicholas stood and he glanced at the boy.

"The blonde?" asked Nicholas.

Donald ducked his head, and Travis nodded slowly, taking in the boy's continued embarrassment.

"Later. Maxwell's made himself his...protector. So we go along with it. Besides," Travis smiled, "he's going to be fun to break. There's just one problem. He's rooming with Wufei."

"Shit," Mike spat.

Boys were leaving the room, and their eyes were drawn to the same figure. Dark unruly hair hung down over the boy's forehead and midnight blue eyes were glaring at them. They didn't have to wonder if he'd heard them, the fact that he walked down their aisle told them enough.

Heero slowed as he moved between Mike and Travis, his eyes flicking from one then to the other before he stopped with his back to them.

He didn't look like much. The Japanese boy was slender, not very muscular and nearly two years younger than them. But they'd had their problems with him in the past.

Travis looked at the boy's stiff back, his eyes narrowing slowly. "Yuy. Is there something we can do for you?"

The boy turned sharply, his narrowed glare boring into him and Travis straightened. "This doesn't concern you."

They stared at each other, neither willing to concede, and Travis knew better than to look away first. Those dark eyes continued to narrow until they were slits, then the boy nodded sharply and turned away just as quick.

"He marked you," Nicholas said suddenly, stepping up next to Travis. "Why?"

"Maybe he's competition," Mike smirked, shaking off the cold sheath that seemed to have closed around him. He would never admit to being intimidated by the slight boy, even to himself. "He may have beaten Craig, but there isn't shit he can do against the four of us."

"Let's go," Travis said, not glancing at his friends.

His expression remained closed, and he left the locker room, the four of them the last ones out. The rest of the students were in a general group just outside the doors and to the right of the bleachers. Their instructor had yet to make his appearance, and Travis didn't fail to notice where Heero was standing.

The boy normally sat on the bleachers, being his usual antisocial self. Today he stood in front of them, his stance tense and his glare aimed directly at Travis. And the two new boys were seated behind him.

They didn't seem to notice their self-proclaimed protector, but Travis understood the statement Heero was making. He understood very well.

- - -

"He sure is taking his time."

Duo was leaning back, his elbows propped on the seat behind him. He was speaking of the teacher, and Quatre noted that the boy still wasn't looking at him.

In accordance to what Duo had told him, Quatre had dressed in his room, and he'd been reluctant to venture out. Somehow, he doubted anyone else would walk through the halls in the gym outfits, except for the players. He had seen them dressed out the day before, but he was still uncomfortable with the thought of standing out so much. His worries had turned out to be groundless.

When he'd opened his door, he'd found Duo leaning against the wall waiting for him. They'd walked to class together, but neither had mentioned what happened last night. Quatre still wasn't sure exactly what _had_ happened, but Duo was avoiding his gaze.

"I want to thank you," Quatre said, smiling a little when Duo glanced at him.

"I thought you'd know it was me," Duo smiled, touching the back of his head in a bashful gesture.

"It couldn't have been anyone else. You know, at first I though it might have been you knocking on my door, but when no one said anything I didn't want to open it."

"It's good that you didn't." Duo folded his arms over his chest, his eyes moving to the four boys who stood a few feet from the group of students. "You see them?"

Quatre looked over and nodded.

"I want you to do me a favor," said Duo. "If you see them, any one of them, following you, make sure you stay with a crowd. Don't let any of them get you alone, okay?"

"Then they're the ones who were knocking last night?" asked Quatre. "Why? I haven't been here long enough to have people angry with me."

The blonde obviously had no idea. It made Duo want to shake him for being so naïve, or hug him for being so innocent and sweet.

"They were just looking for a fight," said Duo.

That wasn't exactly a lie. Duo stood slowly, catching sight of their teacher. "We can talk about it after class."

Crossing the wide court, York blinked lazy eyes at the students. With a wave, he directed them toward the court, tossing the ball to Heero. "Same teams."

Nothing more was necessary, and he sat on the bleachers as the boys separated into their teams. There was a minute or two of discussion, then the extras sat down a few feet from him and the others began to play. His gaze drifted away.

They didn't need him to play. For the one-hundredth time since being hired, he wondered what the point was of having a teacher if the only thing being taught was basketball.

Every student who entered the school knew how to play. Many of them were even better at it than he had been in his youth. He just didn't see a point in even trying anymore.

The game was much different from the day before, and Duo found himself sitting on the sidelines after a few minutes.

The four boys had yet to even glance at him, and no one had attempted a foul. They hadn't looked at Quatre either, nor had they gone after him when he had the ball. The blonde boy seemed oblivious, no doubt concentrating on the game. He was doing well, but Duo wasn't really watching him.

His mind was set on measuring his new opponents, off the court. The fact that they were obviously ignoring Quatre and him didn't fool him for a second.

It wasn't over. In fact, he was convinced they had already begun to plot some sort of revenge on him. But he was ready for that.

The boy who'd started things, Donald, was obviously an accomplished basketball player. Tall and thin, he was a good shooter, and fast. But he didn't look to be that strong. Duo marked him as a follower.

The only danger from him would be if he managed to get behind him, or caught him off guard somehow. As long as that didn't happen, he wasn't a threat. He was too self-conscious. Duo had noticed that by the way the boy had acted before, as if he were performing before an audience and was used to being ridiculed.

The boy looked to be about sixteen, maybe seventeen. His short black hair was almost spiky, standing straight up with too much hair gel in it, a sign that he tried too hard. It didn't flatter him at all with his long face.

Duo was well acquainted with his type. The fact that he'd gone after Quatre was another proof that the boy followed the other three because intimidation was his only chance of looking good. And he wasn't at all intimidating.

Travis was the obvious leader, and Duo knew he would never again take him as easily as he had in the hall. The boy had been confident then, but he had an intelligence about him that made Duo doubt he'd be so careless in the future.

His voice had been soft, his words said carefully, meaning he thought before he acted. And he didn't have any bad features that Duo could see. In fact, he was almost attractive with his reddish blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

Also tall, he wasn't scrawny like Donald, and he was even better at the game. He didn't dominate people because he had to. He did it because he enjoyed it.

Duo didn't know the other two, but he was sure they were a gang as much as any one he'd seen before.

The short teenager was not a very good player. He was too slow. But he had obvious strength, his muscles large enough to make him look like a wrestler. More likely, he was a football player.

Duo didn't really feel worried about him. Sure, he might lose in a close fight, but the boy didn't look particularly intelligent. The smart ones were more of a threat.

The last boy was remarkably unremarkable looking. His hair was a bit odd, thin and brown. It was cut in an arc around his face and hung straight to his shoulders. Duo couldn't really see his eyes from where he sat, but they looked pale.

The boy was nearly a head shorter than Travis, though he looked older and was about as muscular. He wasn't a very good basketball player, but he wasn't bad either.

If Duo hadn't seen the boy with the other three, he would never have given him a second glance. But he wasn't going to dismiss him just yet. He'd have to keep an eye on him the same as the others.

- - -

Despite its focus on athletics, the school had a huge library. Wufei was seated at a table in the far corner, books open in front of him.

Usually he did his studying in his room, but he didn't want to try that with Duo sharing it. The boy confused him, and there was no way he'd be able to concentrate.

It had been odd enough when the boy had been friendly, and his later anger had definitely distracted him. But now, just the thought of the boy's odd behavior was enough to make him forget what he was reading. He had finally managed to concentrate when someone approached him.

Wufei looked up, glare firm on his face. Heero's glare was darker.

"What happened last night?"

The Japanese boy was definitely furious and Wufei shook his head. He didn't know what he'd done, but Trowa was also looking angry. He waited until the two boys sat down before leaning forward.

"What's wrong?" asked Wufei.

"The Rauders were talking about you," said Heero, "about your roommate. What happened?"

Heero had lowered his voice, but it was hard to keep his anger under control. That Wufei would have let so much time go by without telling him was infuriating. If the gang had tried to attack Duo, then they should have been told about it immediately. They'd agreed to prevent things like that.

"Duo?" Wufei leaned back in his chair, frowning at Heero. Trowa was watching him carefully, and he shook his head again.

"I don't know what happened, if anything did. Someone was knocking on a door, but it wasn't ours. Duo did go out," Wufei frowned, "but he came back in after only a minute or two. I don't think anything could have happened in such a short amount of time."

"According to Travis," Heero's eye twitched when he said the name, "Duo managed to overpower them. He and Donald, the other two weren't there. Duo must have realized they were going after Quatre. And he didn't say anything to you?"

"No."

It was inconceivable, that the slight, longhaired boy could have 'overpowered' Travis. Wufei just couldn't see it. "He didn't say anything. In fact, he smiled at me when he came back in. He did write a note or something and leave, but he came right back. Are you sure he fought them? He didn't look as if he were injured."

"I saw Donald earlier," Trowa said quietly, "He had a bruise on his neck. It's possible that Duo did that. They wouldn't have expected him to fight back, so he may have taken them by surprise."

"And they plan to retaliate," said Heero. "We'll have to make sure they don't get a chance. That means we need to keep an eye on Duo."

He looked at Wufei, but his anger no longer directed at the boy. "If he goes out at night again, he'll be a perfect target. I think you should tell him. You said he liked you before, so he should listen. He needs to be warned."

"Right."

Wufei dropped his eyes, his hands tightening into fists beneath the table. Heero didn't seem to blame him, but he felt that he should have realized what was happening. Duo had recognized the knocking, but he hadn't even thought of it.

The Rauders had been quiet lately; the loss of their former leader had done damage to their pride as a gang. And Wufei knew that they were afraid of Heero for having taken the boy out. Obviously, the quiet months had caused them to forget the past confrontation. That, or they felt it was worth the risk.

Either way, Wufei hadn't expected trouble, and he should have. Heero was right to be angry. After the last time they'd made a nonverbal pact to keep a watch on the four teens, and he hadn't kept his part.

"I'll tell him tonight," said Wufei.

"Good," said Heero, "because Travis knows I heard them. They won't do anything with witnesses, so they'll be waiting for an opportunity to catch him alone."

"We should watch Quatre as well," Trowa put in, nodding sharply. "They may have had their attention turned, but he's still at risk. If they know we're expecting an attack on Duo, they may decide to go after him instead. It's best that we watch them both."

"His room is next to mine," said Wufei, "but he doesn't have a roommate. And he isn't in any of my classes. He'd be harder to watch."

"He changed classes." Trowa nodded when the black-haired boy looked at him in surprise. "Yesterday he wasn't in any of my classes, but he was in my music class third period today. And Duo walked him to the door. Obviously, Duo knows the danger."

"Duo managed to take down both Donald and Travis," said Heero. "He must think he's capable of protecting his friend."

His eyes flicked away from the table as he remembered the American's behavior during their basketball game. Duo had been watching the Rauders, almost as if he were taking account of each.

He knew the slender boy wouldn't be able to take them all on. Even Heero didn't have the strength to do that. Separate, the four boys could be beaten easily enough, but they fought dirty when they were together.

"He is watching Quatre," said Heero, "and we'll watch him."

"Agreed."

_- - -  
TBC_


	4. Part 4

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU  
_Warnings:_ minor angst  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 4_

Despite Duo's warning in gym class, Quatre hadn't caught a glimpse of the four teens. At least, he hadn't seen any of them in the halls between classes. One of the boys Duo had pointed out was in his last class.

The course counted as a history credit, but its focus was on world wars, making it seem more like a psychology class to him. The brown-haired boy sat in the back of the class, so he hadn't gotten the opportunity to see if he was being watched. And the other boy had been one of the first to leave when they were dismissed.

On the whole, he didn't see much reason to be worried. He went back to his room without any incident, and he was disappointed to find that Duo wasn't waiting for him. The American boy had walked with him to every class, so he'd been a bit surprised when he hadn't met him after his last course. Although, he couldn't really complain. Duo had classes, too.

Since it was about the time when they'd eaten the day before, Quatre waited outside his room, leaning against the wall as he watched the students passing him by. They really were a mixed group. He wasn't sure where they all came from, but he spotted a few Asians, and others who looked like they might have been of Hispanic descent.

He was positioned between his room and the door to Duo's room, and he glanced at the other door. Time would pass much quicker if he had someone to talk to, but he didn't think Duo would appreciate it if the boy showed up to find him talking to Wufei again.

Remembering the story Duo had told him, he wondered if nationality was the problem. Whatever the problem was with the two boys, it was obviously a misunderstanding, of that he was certain.

Quatre was distracted by his thoughts, his eyes on the door to his left, and he jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder.

The blonde boy jerked back against the wall, and Duo let out a small laugh.

"Nice reaction time, Quatre, but you should have seen me coming."

Pale blue-green eyes blinked as his friend sighed. Duo smirked.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Duo. "The professor had a little trouble with one of his theories. He tried to tell me Europeans introduced slavery to North America, when everyone _knows_ the natives took war captives as slaves when they didn't want to adopt them. I don't know where he got his information from, but I had to set him straight."

"That's all right," Quatre said, moving toward his door. "I haven't been here long."

Turning to his own door, Duo unlocked it so he could leave his books. The room was dark when he entered it, and he glanced at Wufei's empty bed before shrugging. He didn't have a single class with the Chinese boy, but they'd left at about the same time that morning.

He tossed his books on his desk and grabbed a few dollars, shoving the money in his pocket as he left the room. Quatre was waiting in the hall when he locked his door.

"Well, let's eat," said Duo.

The blonde fell into step beside him, meeting his curious glance. "Any trouble while you were waiting for me?"

Quatre shook his head, not missing the glint in Duo's eyes. "Not at all."

The longhaired boy frowned, looking away as they approached the cafeteria. Even though it was good news, Quatre had the distinct impression that Duo was disappointed.

"What are you expecting?" Quatre asked quietly.

There wasn't a line, the cafeteria as empty as it was yesterday, so he grabbed the same thing he'd gotten before.

"Nothing," Duo admitted, a tight smile pulling his lips. "They probably won't do anything until I let my guard down. I know how it is, I just don't like the wait."

They paid for their food and took the same table they'd used before. It wasn't until they sat down that Duo wondered again where his grumpy roommate was. Wufei had eaten at the same time as them before, and he'd actually been thinking about inviting the boy to join them.

Oh, he didn't expect Wufei to accept. It just would have been fun to ask and watch the reaction. But there was no sight of the black-haired boy.

Duo sighed across from him, and Quatre looked him over curiously. "Duo, why are you so sure those guys'll cause more trouble?"

His friend shifted in visible discomfort at the question, making him sigh.

"I'm really missing the picture," said Quatre, his gaze falling to his tray, "aren't I."

Duo didn't like the blonde's expression, but he wasn't going to lie to him.

"Yeah," said Duo, patting the boy's shoulder, "you really are."

A frown crossed the pale boy's face and Duo grinned.

Quatre's frown deepened into an actual scowl and he directed it at Duo. "Well, if you'd explain it to me, I'd know."

"But I _like_ how naïve you are," Duo smirked.

Quatre continued to frown at him and he sighed. "Okay. It's not like I was hiding it from you or anything. I just couldn't believe you didn't know. I mean, how sheltered do you have to be not to know-"

"Duo-"

"Sorry," Duo said quickly. "I know how that sounded."

Quatre was looking past him with wide eyes and Duo closed his mouth suddenly, a familiar and cold sensation passing over him. Pale blue-green eyes met his a second before they reached the table. Duo looked to the side, not bothering to turn his head.

This was too public a place for him to make the first move, and that, as he was sure Travis knew, put him in a tight spot. Judging by Travis' smug expression, the creep planned to take advantage of that.

"Duo. I've been wanting to talk to you," Travis said smoothly, "you don't mind if we join you."

Duo didn't have to look to know one of them was standing behind him, but his eyes remained on Travis, his own voice just as calm. "Actually, we were just leaving. Quatre."

The blonde boy's eyes were still wide, but he nodded sharply, grabbing his tray. He didn't rise more than an inch before thick hands pressed down on Quatre's shoulders, effectively holding him in place.

Duo's eyes sparked dangerously, his gaze raking over Mike. "Do you mind?"

"What's your rush," Travis smiled, moving to sit next to Duo.

Mike smirked at him from across the table, waiting until Donald and Nicholas sat down on either side of the blonde before joining him. The violet-eyed American was fairly fuming, but he didn't offer any resistance. Within less than a minute, they had both boys flanked.

Leaning his right elbow on the table, Travis turned to look at Duo, his expression darkening instantly.

"What did you think," he murmured quietly, "that we'd wait until we got you alone?"

Dark violet eyes glared at him and he smirked back. "I've been playing this school for five years, there's no way I'd lose to you, no matter what street you came from. The way I see it, you have a choice. You can guard your boy there until we take you out, or you can sit back and accept your lot. It's just a matter of how hard you want to make this for yourself. Me, I like it hard, so I'm not complaining if you want it that way."

The longhaired boy didn't so much as blink. Travis looked past him, catching Mike's eyes.

Duo's eyes remained locked on the leader, but his shoulders tensed when he felt his braid drawn to the left, the tension just enough to send a bolt of pure fury down his spine. If it weren't for Quatre, he would have paid the large fool for that insult immediately. Instead, he refused to even glance back, his glare taking in Travis' smirk.

This was bad. Any move made by him would only hurt his own cause, especially if the boy had been telling the truth. Quatre obviously had a high rank in the schools' 'food chain,' but Duo was nothing. With a room spotted with possible witnesses, he would be the one expelled, and that would leave his new friend completely vulnerable.

Out of the corner of his eye Duo saw the blonde boy flinch, his gaze snapping to him when the table jerked. Quatre's face was ash white, his pale eyes staring at the table in visible shock. It only took a second to see why.

The coward, Donald, had his hands on the table, but the other one was pressed against Quatre's side, only one hand visible.

"Don't mind them," Travis smirked, taking in how rigid Duo had gone. "You have your own problems, remember?"

Violet eyes snapped to him and Travis glared suddenly, feeling something press against his stomach.

"Call them off," Duo whispered, his voice very low.

The taller boy's eyes turned down and Duo's lips curved into a tiny smile as he trailed his knife a bit lower, pressing the blade close to Travis' waistline. "I can geld you quicker than you can move."

"If you did, you'd be expelled," Travis said back, anger hiding his brief flash of fear. "You wouldn't risk it, not with _him_ all alone here."

"Try me," Duo urged.

The tension on his hair increased and Duo pressed the knife closer to Travis, the sharp blade easing through the boy's shirt with just the slightest pressure. "I don't bluff."

Flicking a hand over the table, Travis caught Nicholas' eye, no other movement needed. The pale-eyed boy looked at him for a second before lifting his hands and folding them carelessly on the table. Duo smirked, but didn't remove the knife.

Travis shook his head slowly, holding his body still as he stared at Duo. "You really think you're capable of taking all of us on, don't you."

"I aim to please," Duo drawled, his own voice calm despite his steady fury.

It was a good thing Travis had listened, because he had been about three seconds away from proving his words, regardless of the consequences.

"No," Travis muttered, his own voice a low whisper, "but you will. We don't have to catch you alone. You aren't as safe as you think you are. And your little friend, well, he's going to be getting a new roommate, very soon. Just wait and see."

Duo's eyes widened and he turned suddenly, jerking his braid out of Mike's hand and standing abruptly. The knife was already hidden away, but he kept his arm close enough to pull it if necessary. "You-"

"Travis," Nicholas interrupted, "company."

The brown-haired boy next to Quatre rose, and Duo's eyes flicked to him, blinking in surprise. Travis looked past him with a dark curse and rose as well.

Not sure what was happening, Duo started to turn but paused, jerking his head back when Travis brushed a hand over his cheek. The boy smiled at him before turning and walking away without a backward glance, the other three following.

Quatre slumped over the table with his face in his arms, and Duo moved to the boy. It wasn't until he touched his friend's shoulders that he saw the three teens crossing the room, and he frowned at their furious expressions. If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn they were the ones who'd signaled Travis' departure. But now wasn't the time to wonder why Travis would be afraid of Wufei's friends.

Sitting at the table, Duo rubbed Quatre's shoulder lightly, condemnation burning his face when the boy turned wide, upset eyes to him. "You okay?"

"Duo, they..." Cheeks burning suddenly, Quatre pressed his hands over his eyes, shaking his head. "I feel like such a fool. I just never thought - people at the schools I've gone to never even _talk_ about stuff like that. I mean-"

He'd glanced up, and he swallowed when he caught sight of Wufei standing next to the table. He didn't know when the boy had shown up, but surely they hadn't seen anything. His face flamed anyway, the Chinese boy's dark gaze not helping at all.

"Hello," whispered Quatre.

Wufei's hands curled at his sides and he could feel the anger coming from his friends. They'd obviously shown up far too late.

"I never thought they'd try something in the open," said Wufei.

Duo's head jerked up, and he nodded to the boy, taking a seat across from him. "They're called the _Rauders_."

"Nice name," Duo snorted, his eyes following Wufei's friends as they, too, sat down across from Quatre and him. "I take it you've had dealings with them in the past?"

The dark-haired boy nodded, and Duo looked at him for a minute, recognizing him from his gym class. Looking back to Wufei, Duo's eyes narrowed.

"From the way they cut out when they saw you," said Duo, "I'd guess you were rivals. Am I wrong?"

At first Wufei wasn't sure why the boy was glaring at him, but he understood after a second. He blanched, shaking his head. "Not like that. We keep an eye on them, mostly, so they can't do what they tried last night."

Duo blinked, raising an eyebrow at his roommate before glancing at the other two boys. "And how do you know what happened last night? I didn't think they'd brag about it."

"I heard them," Heero said, his gaze straightforward. "I don't know the specifics, but you have to realize you won't be able to stand against them alone."

He was angry that they hadn't come in earlier, but he really hadn't expected the Rauders to move in with witnesses. It was a tactic they'd never used before, and it told him they'd have to watch the boys even in the open from now on. That would be easier to do if they had cooperation.

Duo was looking at him and he nodded sharply. "We can protect you."

Duo's first thought was that he'd managed to stumble into some old gangster movie. He smirked.

"No one fights my battles for me," he informed the dark-haired boy.

"Besides," Duo drawled, looking over the three, "what makes you qualified to be...bodyguards?"

"As you said," Heero returned, not bothering to answer the boy's bold claim of capability, "we've had dealings with them in the past. They know better than to force a confrontation around any one of us. If they're attacking in the open, you won't be able to counter them, even if you _were_ capable of fighting for yourself. They-"

"Wait," Duo interrupted, his smirk widening as his eyes sparked, "I _am_ capable of fighting for myself, as you so eloquently put it. I don't know who you are, but you seem to think I want your help."

Wufei frowned at him, but Duo kept his gaze on dark blue eyes, noting that the dark-haired boy's expression didn't change at all.

"I admit that I'm out of my element here," Duo continued. "We seem to have a common enemy, and that's fine. We can join forces, take them out, and both get what we want. But don't think I need _anyone_ to protect me."

His eyes flicked to Wufei and he smiled at his roommate, enjoying how that simple expression managed to make the boy visibly uncomfortable. "Because I don't."

"No?" asked Heero, his dark blue eyes catching Duo's gaze. "And what about him?"

Quatre flushed beside him, and Duo's eyes narrowed dangerously when the blonde boy dropped his gaze.

It was one thing to remind him that he'd failed to protect his friend, but to make the boy feel guilty for _needing_ protection was uncalled for. Quatre simply had no preparation for something like this. He'd obviously been sheltered in the past, and he wasn't to blame for that.

Glaring at the dark-haired boy who'd spoken, Duo leaned forward. "I don't know you, but you're doing a really good job getting on my bad side fast. My guess is, that's not the route you want to take."

"It isn't," Trowa said suddenly, his calm voice seeming to catch Duo by surprise, judging by the startled violet eyes that turned to him. "What Heero means is that there are four of them, and one of you. The odds are in their favor. We want to even them."

Heero's gaze flicked to him, but Trowa kept his own eyes on Duo. He knew very well that _wasn't_ what his roommate had meant, but he was also aware of their position. Guarding the boys would be much easier if they went along with it.

Pale blue-green eyes glanced up and Trowa gave a slow nod to Quatre, including him in the statement. "Five is better than four."

Although he was mortified to not have realized what the Rauders wanted, Quatre had an idea he understood what the boys were talking about perfectly. He didn't know if they were planning an outright battle of some kind, but he knew that he was the cause. Last night Duo had protected him, and today...

He hadn't been able to see or hear what passed between Duo and the tall Rauder, but his friend had obviously done something. As far as he could see, he was the cause of all the trouble.

Quatre shook his head at Wufei's green-eyed friend, vaguely recalling his name from their introduction the day before.

"I could eliminate the problem, just by leaving," Quatre said quietly.

It wasn't that easy, and he knew he'd be in a very difficult spot with his father if he did so, but it could be done. Trowa frowned at him, but Quatre's attention turned sharply when Duo shoved his shoulder.

"Don't be stupid," Duo frowned, his hand still on his friend's shoulder. He gave him another light prod to emphasize his point. "What good would that do? You'd be gone, I'd get my idiot-self expelled, and then they'd win. You really want to leave them around to go after someone else?"

Quatre's brows drew together in an uncertain expression and Duo shook his head.

"If you're afraid," said Duo, "then I won't say anything to stop you from leaving the school. But don't do it just to keep me, or them, from fighting. That's stupid. Those jerks _need_ to have their asses kicked. Don't you think so?"

Quatre dropped his eyes again, frowning at the table. "I just don't want to be the cause of-"

"It started years before you got here," Heero said, cutting the boy's words and drawing pale eyes to him. "Another student. We couldn't save him, but we took out their former leader. This time, maybe we can take them all out."

"Took him out," Duo repeated, his violet eyes narrow. "What do you mean, _'took him out_?' How could you get away with something like that and still _be_ here?"

He was thinking about what had just happened, and how he'd been forced to passivity to keep from being expelled. If Heero had managed to kill, or at least incapacitate a fellow student and get away with it, Duo really wanted to know the details for future reference.

Dark blue eyes blinked at him and Duo frowned back. "Seriously, how did you get away with something like that?"

"It was self-defense," Heero said, his expression darkening into a scowl. "The officials here tend to look the other way, but the Rauders all have connections with the school board. The key to fighting them is to make certain they can't argue with a claim of self-defense. That's one of the reasons we didn't expect them to try anything in the open, too many witnesses who could testify against them. That's another benefit to having us with you."

The boy was far too vague about the actual encounter to satisfy him, but Duo nodded anyway. "You have a point. But what do you have in mind?"

Heero frowned at him and Duo shook his head. He knew the boy probably thought he'd already explained, but Duo wanted specifics. As far as he was concerned, he'd already taken steps to protect Quatre as well as he could, staying with the boy, even in the open. That was why he'd walked him to class, after all, just in case one of the Rauders tried to snatch him from the busy halls. It was a move he could well imagine from the group.

"Details," Duo prodded.

"Now," Wufei said, nodding at Duo. "We'd planned to talk to you about this later, but obviously we could have been useful just now. You were vulnerable here because there were only two of you. All of us have this period free, so it would be better if we ate together. You and Quatre walk to his classes together, so there's no improvement there, but you walk to yours alone, don't you."

The violet-eyed American frowned at him and Wufei shook his head, his eyes dark. "Even if you can take on two of them, they aren't honorable. They wouldn't think twice about ganging up on you, using whatever means necessary. What we need, is to go through each of your schedules and see if we can arrange an escort to-"

"Don't call it that," Duo smirked, shaking his head at Wufei, "it hurts your cause."

The black-haired boy blinked at him and Duo sighed. "Go on..."

"So we can set things up where neither of you would be alone in the halls," Wufei said, still frowning at the correction. "The Rauders haven't shown any interest in picking direct fights with us, so you're safe rooming with me. But-"

Grinning, Duo interrupted again. He couldn't help it. There was so much confidence in Wufei's statement that he had to comment.

"What makes you think they wouldn't take you on?" asked Duo. "Didn't you guys say that even a person 'capable' of fighting could lose if the odds were bad? If it's four against two, that's the same as it is right now."

Heero shook his head. "They won't try anything with you rooming with Wufei. I heard them this morning. The problem is Quatre."

The longhaired boy's eyes clouded over and Heero paused, frowning at him.

Not sure how he'd managed to forget, Duo gritted his teeth and leaned back suddenly. The three boys across from him frowned in response, but he shook his head at them.

"You just reminded me," said Duo. "How hard is it to get a change of room assignment here?"

Wufei blinked, his brows drawing together. "Are you planning to move out? After what we just said you should realize that-"

"That Quatre has a room to himself," Duo interrupted, his eyes dark. "How hard would it be for someone with connections in the school board to get switched into his room?"

Quatre stiffened beside him and Duo glared, shaking his head. "If they can do that, there's no point even discussing a 'team' effort. There's nothing we can do if he's _living_ with one of the bastards."

"They can't do that," Quatre said quickly, looking at the boys across from him. "Can they? I specifically requested a single room. They can't just change that, right?"

All it took was a glance at Duo for Wufei to know that they could, just as easily as the school had turned _his_ single room into a double.

"They could," Wufei admitted, "but it isn't likely they would be able to do it on such short notice. New students are the only ones who get assigned so quickly. If you already have an assignment, it takes a week to be moved, and even then you'd have to petition for the relocation. They might be able to get around the petition by pulling in favors, but Quatre would be notified at least a day in advance before anyone received the key to his room."

"Then we have time," Duo murmured, relaxing a bit. "I'll have to see about this petition thing. If Quatre _requests_ a roommate, it would go faster, right?"

"You can't move in with him," Wufei said sharply, dark eyes wide. "That would be a liability. With both of you in the same room, they could get to you just by breaking in."

Wufei was aware of Heero and Trowa both looking at him and he frowned, glancing from one to the other. "What?"

"One of us could move in with him," Heero said, exchanging a nod with Trowa. "That would eliminate one risk."

"No," Duo said, raising his voice so the three boys looked at him, "I don't think so. Sorry guys, but I don't know either of you well enough to agree to that."

Two pairs of eyes glowered at him and Duo shrugged, giving them a light smile. "No offense. I may be new to this school, but I wasn't born yesterday. For all I know, you could be in cahoots with the 'Rauders."

"We're not," Heero frowned.

"So you say," Duo smirked. "But I don't have any way of knowing that for sure, now do I. No, that idea's out."

Quatre looked at the boys across from him, taking in their varying degrees of insult before glancing at his friend. "Duo, I really don't think they-"

"You're too trusting," Duo shrugged, smiling when the Quatre frowned at him.

Lifting his chin, Duo looked back across the table. "I think you're right about me, though."

This caught their attention, and he nodded sharply. "It would be dangerous to have us both in the same room, like putting all your eggs in one basket, right? But that doesn't leave many choices. Either I move in with Quatre, or we switch rooms."

Wufei blinked, suddenly aware of intense stares coming from either side of him. It only took a moment to understand why. He frowned at Duo.

The boy had confused him from the start, and Wufei honestly didn't see why _he_ would be any more trustworthy in Duo's eye than Heero or Trowa. Duo didn't know him any better than them, even if they had roomed together for a two days.

Quatre was looking at him, and Wufei frowned darker, staring over at Duo. "Why would you let him room with me if you think we might be in..._cahoots _with the Rauders?"

"Not you," Duo smiled, "just your friends. And I don't really think that. I was just saying that if they _were_, I'd have no way of knowing."

"But why would you trust _me_?" Wufei scowled.

The gazes to either side of him made the hairs on the back of his neck rise and he barely kept from glancing at his friends. He just _knew_ he was going to get teased for this.

"Because," Duo shrugged, still smiling at his roommate, "I know people like your Rauders. They don't know any kind of restraint. But you...well, rooming with you was like rooming with a homophobic eunuch."

Wufei choked, his cheeks darkening suddenly and Duo smirked when Heero and Trowa both let out low snorts.

"No offense," Duo said cheekily, "but you didn't even _look_ at me. And when you _did_, you either ignored me, or yelled at me. No one who was teamed up with the Rauders could have done that. They aren't smart enough."

The Chinese boy looked to be more than uncomfortable and Quatre frowned at Duo, shaking his head when the boy raised an eyebrow at him. Duo really was blunt.

"Duo," said Quatre, "I think you're forgetting something."

"What's that?"

"You."

Quatre frowned when Duo blinked at him. "If I'm in danger rooming alone, how would it make things any better to have _you_ be the one alone?"

"Oh," Duo shrugged, smiling and patting a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "You don't have to worry about that. I wasn't planning to room alone. After all, if they're willing to room with you for purely 'protective' purposes, there's no reason one of them couldn't room with me instead."

Glancing at Wufei, Quatre shook his head. "But I thought you didn't trust them..."

It felt so odd to be talking about Heero and Trowa as if they weren't present, but Duo was starting to confuse him.

"Not enough to stick you in a room alone with one of them," Duo admitted, glancing over at Trowa, and then Heero. "But I'm not worried about myself."

His eyes glittered merrily when the Japanese boy raised an eyebrow at him and he tilted his head to the side. "If one of them tries anything, I'll just '_take him out_' and claim 'self-defense.' Right, Heero?"

Heero's lips twitched despite himself, and he snorted softly. "Right."

"See?" Duo smiled, looking to Quatre. "There's nothing to worry about. You and I can go down to the office tomorrow morning and see about getting some room changes."

Quatre gave a slow nod, and Duo relaxed even more.

It really was a good idea, as far as he could see. He already knew Quatre got along well enough with Wufei, the boy had admitted that, and he much preferred the idea of his friend rooming with the stoic Chinese boy to having Quatre living alone.

Though Duo was fairly certain neither of Wufei's friends were the type to try anything, he wasn't going to take any chances. Quatre _was_ too trusting, and he had to admit the boy was sweet enough to tempt even someone with the best of intentions. Luckily, he'd never been the kind to make a play after his friends. Once he'd decided the boy was as sweet as he looked, he'd marked him as off limits. It simplified things.

_- - -  
TBC_


	5. Part 5

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU  
_Warnings:_ violence, angst, attempted rape  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 5_

Just like the day before, Duo walked Quatre back to his room, but this time the other three boys went with them. For someone who'd never had much contact with people during his stay at various schools, Quatre found it odd to be escorted like that. It was as if Wufei's friends really were some sort of bodyguards, with the way they walked two steps behind Duo and him.

The others, Duo included, had roaming eyes that scanned the halls, but Quatre didn't see anything. If the Rauders had more to say, they obviously weren't going to do it around Wufei and his group.

Quatre had never really been part of a group before, and he found himself reluctant to retire for the night when they finally reached his room. Heero and Trowa bid them good night silently, merely nodding before turning and heading toward their own room. Duo was more tactile, rustling Quatre's hair until he had an insane urge to blush like a child.

He nearly did, too, when he saw Wufei's wide-eyed stare. Wufei must have been as unused to such gestures as Quatre was. With a bright smile, he left his friends for his room, locking the door behind him.

The bedroom was lonely when he entered it, the small lamp over his desk adding to the feeling. Quatre sighed and flicked on the overhead light before sitting at the desk.

He didn't even have homework to occupy himself with. It was late enough to go straight to bed, considering they'd sat in the cafeteria for hours after that unfortunate encounter.

The thought of that brought a flush to Quatre's cheeks, and he scowled, rubbing a hand over his face. He really did feel like a complete idiot not to have known what was going on. But he had nothing to prepare him for something like that.

Sure, he'd gotten interested looks before, but nothing blatant enough to be romantic interest. Then again, he was fairly sure romance had nothing to do with the Rauders. Just the thought of the tall boy who'd sat next to him made Quatre's skin crawl.

A chill scurried down his arms, and he pushed away from the desk quickly. He wasn't ready to sleep, not if it meant turning the light off.

That sentiment brought a flickering smile to his lips as he glanced over his bed. In a few days he wouldn't be sleeping in a room by himself. The only male child in a large family, Quatre had always roomed alone. And school hadn't been any different.

He didn't know how well he'd get along with Wufei once they were sharing living quarters, but he looked forward to the companionship. The Chinese boy was quiet, seemed nice enough, and he had somehow gained Duo's trust. Why his American friend was so naturally distrustful, Quatre didn't know, but he was certain Duo's trust in Wufei was strong. And that was oddly reassuring.

His gaze moved to the other bed, and he wondered what it would be like to have someone sleeping there, sharing his space. He imagined it would be comforting to hear someone breathing peacefully so close by.

With a soft sigh, Quatre shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He really was looking forward to this far too much considering the reason for the change. But he couldn't help that any more than he could help liking Duo. He'd been drawn to the boy, and he felt the same pull from Wufei and his friends. There was something about being with them that just felt right.

Glancing at the wall that separated his room from the objects of his thoughts, Quatre kicked his shoes off. If he wasn't ready to sleep, there was no point just sitting around.

Accustomed to having his own room, he almost followed his normal routine of not bringing clothes into the bathroom with him, but he remembered the eminent change. Despite Duo's comforting words about Wufei's lack of a sexual orientation, Quatre was fairly sure the boy wouldn't appreciate him walking around in a towel.

That image brought a light blush to his cheeks, and he smiled as he gathered a clean change of clothes. It really would be something of an adjustment, living with Wufei.

The bathroom light was off when he entered the room, and he flicked the switch on his way through the door. Bright silvery eyes sparked at him and he gasped in complete surprise.

The deep breath was immediately held inside him as a hand clamped over his mouth, a painful grip jerking his head back and nearly ripping his hair out.

Despite his shock and startled terror, his hands merely twitched against the arm blocking off his oxygen. His head was pulled back so tightly he could barely see the boy, but those pale gray eyes were darker with the shadowy figure looming over him.

The wall pressed his back moments before a hard knee shoved into his stomach, choking the breath that tried to pour out of him. He barely heard the door being pushed shut with a soft click.

His mind had centered on the burn in his lungs and stomach and he had just begun to claw at the arm when he was released. Any scream he might have given deteriorated into choked coughs.

A drumming sound gained his pain-filled attention, and he blinked bleary eyes at the shower. His vision quickly shifted to his attacker when the boy crouched in front of him, an oddly horrible smile curving the boy's lips. Quatre froze, one arm wrapped around his aching middle.

Placing a light hand over the blonde's mouth, the taller boy smiled wider, tilting his head to the side.

"Nicholas," he murmured, his lips parting to flash pale yellow teeth. "You'll need to remember my name, Cherub, because I don't say things twice. And you don't want to make me repeat myself."

Wide blue-green eyes stared at him from a pale face, and he leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against silky blonde hair. "You smell so good..."

Quatre didn't move, his panicked mind flying in circles. His hands were free. He could try hitting the boy, or the wall. If he made enough noise Duo was bound to hear him. Surely Duo and Wufei would be able to break the lock on the door, the lock that hadn't kept Nicholas out of his room...

That thought hit him just as the boy leaned back, pale gray eyes gleaming an inch from his face. Any thought of retaliation froze when a hand brushed his thigh and closed over his crotch.

It was the second time Nicholas had done that, but Quatre wasn't any more ready for it now than he'd been in the cafeteria. His face lost all hints of color, paling to a deathly white.

"You want to alert your friends," Nicholas whispered, his hand tightening in none too subtle warning. "I can see that you do. Make a sound, Cherub, just one..._little_...sound. And I'll twist so hard you'll be crying for days."

Very wide eyes shimmered at him, and he sighed when silvery streaks ran over Quatre's cheeks. His lips curved and he lapped one of those salty paths, his gaze a cloudy gray.

"Beautiful... I could torture you all night just to see those tears. But first, I'm going to uncover your mouth. I want to see how well you listen."

Freedom allowed him a sketchy breath, but Quatre was careful to release it as quietly as possible. Though that hold didn't tighten on him, he didn't doubt it would the second he made even the slightest sound. He could only imagine how much that would hurt.

The boy smiled at him, that same eerie smile that had frightened him a moment ago.

"So well behaved, that's very good. You won't make me hurt you, will you, Cherub...?"

Petting Quatre's cheek with his free hand, Nicholas gave the boy a light squeeze for the double benefit of his own pleasure and reinforcing his control. The blonde winced, a tiny sound not quite making it past his visibly clenched teeth.

His hand abruptly moved, fingers digging into thick blonde hair as he shifted over the boy.

"I thought I heard something," he whispered, the smile leaving his face. "But maybe I was wrong. Open your mouth before I have to try that again."

Fingers pressed him painfully, and Quatre choked, his jaw trembling as he tried to open his mouth. What was he going to do?

The question was immediately answered and he nearly gagged, Nicholas's tongue sweeping over his.

It was going to get worse, much worse. He couldn't just sit and wait for it to get worse. How badly could the boy's grip on him hurt? Would it hurt more than not acting now?

Quatre's hands curled into tight fists, his jaw threatening to snap shut.

He was going to be sick. He was going to throw up all over the boy and then he'd die. Or worse, the boy would make good on his promise.

Nicholas tasted like smoke, horridly rancid smoke that made his stomach curl into nasty lumps.

He nearly doubled over when the boy finally moved away, his gags mixed with coughs and quiet sobs. If he hadn't been looking down, he might never have known when his belt was pulled off.

Tossing the dark belt over his shoulder, Nicholas rose to a crouch, his free hand curling in the thick blonde hair on the top of Quatre's head.

"Stand up, now, slowly so I don't pull anything too hard." His gaze flicked down as he tightened his other hand, the meaning clear.

After only a slight hesitation, the slender blonde made it to shaky legs, pale hands pressing the wall behind him.

"I never thought you'd be so docile," he smiled, his hand running up the boy's arm to press on Quatre's shoulder. "Now turn around, Cherub, slowly...wouldn't want to hurt you too soon..."

He was going to fight, his entire being was ready to try anything that would keep him from having that boy at his back, but one hard squeeze had him turning just as docilely as Nicholas had said.

Quatre's blurry eyes closed in shame, his legs shaking so his forehead bumped lightly against the wall.

"Hush," Nicholas smiled, rubbing against the boy's back as he squeezed him almost gently. "I'm not going to rape you tonight, Cherub. Just be good and that can wait until the second lesson."

A slight tremor went through the boy, and he rubbed his face over Quatre's shoulder, his teeth barely pressing through the light shirt. "Put your hands behind your back."

Just the feel of the small boy submissive before him made his body shiver against that slender back. "You don't want to make me wait..."

It was over. Quatre slumped against the wall, his hot eyes closing tight. Whether he obeyed or not, it didn't matter anymore. He could feel the hardness pressed against the back of his thighs. The boy had to be lying. Either way the pain was the same.

The hand twisted, just a bit, and he choked on a sharp cry, swallowing the sound. That alone hurt more than anything he'd ever known...

His chest seemed to tighten as he moved his arms back, cool leather circling his wrists. And for a moment he was given relief. The horrible grip left him, rising to cover his mouth.

"I expected more fight from you," Nicholas whispered, moving his mouth so his lips brushed the pale boy's ear. "But you are a good boy, aren't you. As a reward, I'm going to let you have your bath."

Wide damply bright eyes met his when he turned Quatre, his hand still pressed over the boy's mouth. Those eyes were so haunted he let out a low sound, pressing close to the blonde.

It would be so very easy to take him now, to drown his cries. But that was far too easy. Nicholas curled a hand and buried it in the slender boy's stomach, muffling the choked sound as he caught him around the waist.

Quatre didn't have the breath to struggle, gasping when he was lifted and carried to the bathtub. His pain and tear-fogged eyes registered the closed drain a second before he was lowered into the water, the shower-head making the surface shimmer above him.

Terror shot through him as he pushed with his bound arms, struggling to reach the air just above him. But the hand left his mouth to press on his forehead until Nicholas lifted a leg, a heavy shoe digging into Quatre's stomach and holding him down.

Time slowed until he could feel his lungs burning as he tried to thrash against the weight. Air touched his damp forehead, but remained just beyond his reach.

Counting the seconds, Nicholas smiled when he reached the limit he'd chosen. He shifted his foot aside and pulled the blonde up, one hand covering the boy's mouth as Quatre breathed harshly through his nose.

"Not bad," he whispered, his voice almost drowned out by the shower on the tub of water. "You'll need to hold your breath longer than that, though. Once I get started I tend to forget that cherubs need to breathe..."

The boy's eyes were narrow and shot with red from the warm water, but they focused on him when he pushed the boy back again. Slender shoulders rocked desperately, but he held him down with his foot, digging his heel into the boy's stomach.

His hands were quick as he undid his pants and readied himself before raising the boy again.

He couldn't get enough air with his mouth covered, and Quatre wavered, only the hold in his hair keeping him from falling back in the water again. His face was turned, and his frantic breaths caught in his throat, his burning eyes widening.

The hand left his mouth to curl under his chin, tilting his head back so he was facing Nicholas's smiling gaze.

"Do you know what to do with this...?" Nicholas asked slowly, petting himself with his free hand, the other one making similar motions on the boy's soft lips.

Quatre's breathing hitched into action again, and he smiled at the ragged sound, squeezing the boy's chin. "Don't worry, I'll teach you..."

Possibilities ran through his mind faster than he'd ever thought himself capable of, and Quatre drew a deep steadying breath. Dusty gray eyes glinted at him and he lunged to the side suddenly, his scream echoing through the bathroom.

A low curse barely registered before something hard slammed into the back of his head and he slumped in the tub. His forehead struck the wall, but his eyes were already falling closed when the water swamped over him.

_- - -  
TBC_


	6. Part 6

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU  
_Warnings:_ minor angst, shonen ai, slight humor  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatomina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 6_

The scream that sounded so loud in the closed bathroom was muffled by two walls, droned by the thrumming water, until it became little more than a distant echo. It still managed its purpose, waking Duo from his light doze, and causing Wufei to turn from his lit desk. The clicks of a door opening on the other side of his bed was much louder, and Duo scrambled to his feet just ahead of his roommate.

He threw the door open only to halt mid-rush, Wufei stumbling into him. Gray eyes met violet, a quick hand darting against Duo's left shoulder, pressing, twisting, and ripping away.

Duo choked, his shoulders jerking back against Wufei as a fist hit the right side of his face.

Wufei caught the longhaired boy, his dark eyes following the familiar figure that rushed off down the hall. The American had a death grip on the doorway, and he pulled himself upright with a low sound.

"Duo-"

"Quatre," Duo muttered, shoving away from the other boy.

He didn't know what was happening, but his throat had clenched shut, telling him there wasn't time. He hadn't even heard Quatre's door being opened when the bastard went in.

Rushing into the other bedroom, he barely noted the unbroken lock. The bathroom door was open, the sound of a shower spraying over water heightening his senses. But every part of him seemed to lock down when he saw the pale boy lying so still beneath that deep water.

He hit his knees hard, nearly diving headfirst as he grabbed Quatre's shoulders and pulled the boy up. The water tinted pink, but he ignored that, his wide stunned gaze snapping to Wufei when the black-haired boy moved beside him, lifting the blonde out of the tub.

Matted blonde hair clung to Quatre's cheeks as Wufei crouched next to Duo. His hands worked on the tight belt wrapped about the boy's slender wrists, and he jerked it aside.

Quick breaths sounded from his wide-eyed roommate, but Wufei couldn't hear a thing from the damp boy. Laying Quatre on his back, Wufei caught Duo's eyes. "Do you know CPR?"

Duo shook his head violently, the edge of his long braid slapping the side of the bathtub.

"I'll get help," said Wufei.

He didn't even know how to swim. He'd never been near enough water to need to know such skills...

That lack ate at Duo as he curled his hands uselessly. He knew what it was supposed to look like. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to press on the slender boy's chest until the water was forced out of his lungs, to breathe air back into the wet pathways until he could breathe on his own. But if it were that easy, he was certain Wufei would have done it himself.

Wufei would come back with help and Quatre would be fine. Wufei would take care of everything.

Duo clenched his teeth his eyes burning at the sweetly silent blonde lying in front of him. This wasn't supposed to happen.

How could he be completely useless? And why did it have to happen in the first place? He'd promised to watch over the boy.

Duo edged a bit closer to Quatre, his damp sleeves dripping a path to the blonde's cheek. The boy's lips didn't seem to have any color to them at all. But they were closed.

If he'd been drowned, shouldn't his mouth have been open as he gasped in desperation?

Duo's breath caught in his throat, and he reeled away, his gaze flying to the open doorway.

Surely Wufei should be back by now. Every second counted! Didn't it?

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and Duo slipped on the wet floor as he jumped to his feet. He didn't realize he was still holding his breath until Wufei reached him, the black-haired boy pressing him out of the bathroom to give the other two more room.

Every bit of his control seemed to seep away, and Duo sagged against the doorway. "Hurry."

Trowa and Heero were kneeling next to Quatre, and Wufei patted an awkward hand on Duo's shoulder.

"It's only been a minute or two since we heard his scream," Wufei said, his tone soft. "There's still time."

Staring at Wufei, Duo shoved away from the doorway. How could he be so calm?

The Chinese boy stepped aside so he could stand over the two boys, watching as Heero tilted Quatre's head back. Trowa had his hands overlapped on the blonde's chest, and Duo leaned hard against the wall, watching the motions.

He was going to remember this. Never would he be caught in a situation like this again without knowing exactly what to do.

The concentration he put on the two boys shifted to Quatre, watching the boy's still form. They were moving so slowly, almost...methodically.

Anger coiled in his stomach and he glared at the back of Heero's head, willing the boy to hurry.

They were the experts. They knew what they were doing. So why the hell wasn't Quatre breathing?

A sudden choking cough was the sweetest thing Duo had ever heard, and he sighed, his chin dropping to his chest.

Heero turned Quatre's head to the side, lifting the boy's shoulders as he coughed up the water he'd inhaled. The blonde didn't move, but his breaths slowed to something closer to normal. A glance found Trowa looking at him, and Heero left him with Quatre so he could stand and turn off the shower.

The drain was closed with a metal switch and he flicked it, the pinkish water nearly ready to overflow onto the floor. He paused to take in the color before crouching behind Quatre and supporting the boy's shoulders. Duo moved closer to them, and he nodded to the boy.

"He's breathing fine now," said Heero. "You found him in the tub?"

Heero's dark blue eyes were hard, the first sign of emotion Duo had seen, and it came as a huge relief.

"It was the brown-haired one," Duo nodded. "We caught him coming out, but...I never heard him go in."

Trowa was undoing Quatre's shirt, and Duo eyebrow twitched in a surge of protectiveness. He had to curl his hands into fists to keep from touching the taller boy. They'd just saved his friend's life, proven he could trust them, or at least that he owed them. He still didn't like it.

With a pointed look, Duo caught Trowa's gaze. "Are you looking for injuries?"

The boy blinked at him as if startled, and Duo sighed when he was given a slow nod. He really had no reason to look at the boy like that. "Right."

"What happened to your face?" asked Heero.

Violet eyes turned to him, and Heero waved a hand at the boy's darkening cheek.

Touching his right hand to his face, Duo scowled. "I got caught in the doorway."

Wufei nodded when Heero looked at him. "Nicholas."

There was a pale towel hanging near the tub, and Trowa pulled it down, wrapping it around Quatre's shoulders.

"His stomach is bruised," said Trowa, "but I don't see any cuts."

Heero frowned, making him match the boy's expression. "That isn't like Nicholas, not to have his knife."

"That..."

His eyes were on the floor where he knelt, and he felt his lips pull into a small grimace. In the rush and panic, he hadn't thought about that brief and painful encounter. Now he found himself staring at the red that was smeared on the white linoleum floor, his left hand mostly coated.

"Ah, hell," sighed Duo.

The boy's black shirt was mostly wet from the bathtub, but Wufei followed Duo's eyes, his own narrowing quickly. "Duo?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Duo mumbled, still looking down at the wrinkled cloth on his shoulder.

Now he could see the tear, though the water from the tub had turned the color a dark black, masking the blood. "It doesn't even hurt."

And it didn't, not until he moved his arm to look at the red on his hand. "Much."

Heero moved, lifting Quatre and placing the boy in Trowa's arms. "Wrap him in a blanket for now."

He waited until his friend had left the bathroom before stepping back and pointing at the toilet seat, his gaze snapping to Duo.

"Sit," said Heero. "Wufei, use his shirt to stop the bleeding. I'll get bandages from my room. I doubt Quatre has any here."

The longhaired boy didn't seem eager to comply with those orders, and Wufei frowned down at him. Heero had turned immediately after giving his instructions, leaving the two of them.

Crouching by the boy, Wufei raised an eyebrow as he caught his gaze. "Can you move?"

"What?"

Duo blinked for a second, wondering why Wufei would think a little cut on his shoulder would keep him from moving. He hadn't heard Heero's words, and hadn't really noticed the boy's silent departure.

For some reason, he was starting to feel a little lightheaded and hot. And his shoulder _still_ didn't really hurt, it just felt like it were pulsing, throbbing or something. It made his face feel hotter, as if he were blushing.

"Of course I can move," Duo muttered. "It's just my shoulder."

"All right, then," Wufei said, leaning back in doubt. "Sit and take off your shirt so I can see the wound. The bathwater must have stemmed the bleeding some, or the damp cloth."

Duo pushed to his feet and Wufei gasped when the boy stumbled, nearly pitching into the sink.

"I thought you could move!"

"Eh, just dizzy," Duo muttered. "Don't know why I would be over a shoulder."

"And a direct blow to the face," Wufei reminded him.

His eyes were on the darkening bruise since Duo's right cheek was turned toward him. "I'm surprised it didn't knock you out. Nicholas is stronger than he looks."

"Right," Duo spat, "Like I'm going to just pass out while my friend drowns."

He swayed a bit, and let himself fall on closed toilet lid. For some reason, he found himself smiling at that. Quatre must have lived with females if he made a habit of keeping the lid closed.

A soft chuckle made Wufei lean away from the boy, raising an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Duo said, giving the boy a vague smile.

His face still felt way too warm, but he'd forgotten about the punch. It was probably swelling up or something.

Typical, really. He'd always been quick to bruise when it came to his face. He was just glad the guy hadn't punched him in the gut. That was his real weak spot. But he wasn't going to tell him that.

"I'm just glad I'm right handed."

The Chinese boy was still giving him an odd look and Duo sighed. "What?"

"Take off your shirt," said Wufei. "So I can see the wound?"

"Hey now, you're the eunuch, remember? You can't ask me to strip for you!"

Dark red washed over the boy's face, and Duo grinned. Wufei looked like he was ready to start ranting at him or maybe run away. He waved a hand before he could do either.

"I'm playing with you," said Duo, "calm down. The way I see it, my shirt is what's keeping it from bleeding more than it already is. If I take it off, it'll probably just agitate the wound."

That got a surprised blink from Wufei. "You speak from experience?"

"Yeah, not that I've been stabbed much. Usually a swipe is the most anyone can get on me. I wasn't expecting him to be hanging around right outside the door."

The other boy nodded, glancing out the open doorway, and Duo leaned forward to follow his gaze. Quatre was wrapped in the blanket on his bed, his face mostly hidden, and Trowa was sitting on the edge of it, watching them.

"How is he?" asked Duo.

"Aside from the visible bruises, he seems to be fine. I didn't check for any other injuries."

That calm tone nearly masked what the boy was implying, but Duo caught it, his eyes blazing.

It had been nearly an hour between the time he left Quatre at his room and the scream, more than enough time for Nicholas to have raped him. But his clothes were still on when they came in. Surely he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of dressing the boy afterward. And then there was the bathtub. That made him sure Nicholas hadn't gotten further than tormenting the boy.

"There's no need to check for that," said Duo. His voice was tight, but not accusatory.

"No," Trowa agreed.

He glanced back at the blonde hair peaking out of the blanket behind him and frowned. "Nicholas wouldn't have moved that quickly."

"Tell me about him," said Duo. "He was the one that didn't really stand out."

He glared at his own underestimation. "I never expected him to make the first move like this."

"No one knows much about him," Wufei said, his eyes just as dark. "But the other student, the last one, he refused to admit what they were doing to him. And we're sure Nicholas is the reason. He may not be the leader, but he seems to be the most twisted one among them."

"He terrified the boy into taking it willingly."

Heero paused in the doorway, waiting for Duo to look at him before entering. "We had to catch them in the act before we could stop it. That's why I wasn't charged, it was clearly self defense. But Craig was the only one present at the time, so we couldn't pin it on any of the other four. And the boy disappeared before he could be questioned."

The Japanese boy moved to crouch in front of him, Wufei shifting to the side, and Duo frowned.

"Disappeared?" asked Duo.

"Yes," Wufei frowned. "Officially he transferred out of the school. Officially."

"And unofficially...?"

"Suicide," Heero stated. "Covered up to preserve the school's reputation."

Duo glared, clenching his fists, and Heero nodded at him. "They may not have held the knife for him, but they killed him just the same."

"And you took out their leader," Duo said slowly. "You mean you killed him, don't you."

The boy gave a sharp nod and Duo smirked, his eyes flashing again. "Good."

"I'm going to rip your shirt," Heero said, shifting the subject abruptly.

The violet-eyed boy blinked at him, but he didn't hesitate. Catching the neck of Duo's long black shirt, he ripped it down the middle, and peeled it back to the edge of his left shoulder. It caught there, a tight grimace making his eyes narrow.

"The cloth was probably pushed into the wound," said Heero.

"Yeah," Duo winced, scowling down at his now flaming shoulder. "I think he twisted it. I wasn't really paying much attention at the time."

"Hn."

Eyes still narrow, Heero stood frowning down at him. "Lean forward. I'm going to split the back and peel it off your arm from the top down. It's better if you don't raise your arms or move the shoulder at all."

"I doubt that would make much difference now," Duo drawled. "I was moving around a lot earlier."

Dark eyes stared at him and he sighed. "Fine."

He leaned forward, smirking when his damp braid was tossed over his right shoulder. The end of it had fallen in the tub earlier, so it smacked and stuck to his damp stomach.

A little sigh passed his lips as Heero ripped the back of his shirt, the cool air now making itself apparent to him. It wasn't like he had a lot of clothing, but the shirt was definitely scrap now.

The dark-haired boy moved to crouch by his left side again, and Duo glanced over at Wufei. He sent his roommate a wide smile. "Hey, Wufei, wanna pull this off my arm for me?"

He wriggled the fingers of his right hand. "Since I can't move?"

Something about the way the boy asked it made Wufei's eyebrow twitch, and he scowled. "What's the point?"

"Because," Duo sniffed, looking down at the sleeve-covered arm. "I feel really stupid with it just hanging there like that. And I don't want Heero here to yell at me if I pull it off with my teeth."

A glance at Heero made Wufei smirk, and he nodded. "All right, then."

It only took a moment to get rid of the damp material, and Wufei resumed his seat on the edge of the tub, a bit closer to the two of them. Heero was peeling the shirt off Duo's injured shoulder and he leaned forward to see it better.

"Wow," said Duo, "you're pretty eager to see my skin, aren't you."

Wufei jerked back as if burned, and they could hear a light chuckle from the other room. The Chinese boy bristled. "Shut up, Trowa."

"Both of you be quiet," said Heero.

His voice was calm, but there was a certain curve to the edge of his lips when to glanced at Wufei's red face.

His smile disappeared when he caught Duo's gaze. "That goes for you, as well."

Duo raised an eyebrow, forgetting his shoulder as he leaned closer to the boy. "You don't know me very well, if you think I'll be quiet just because you tell me to."

Heero merely stared at him, that deadpan expression making him twitch. Silence held for nearly a minute before Duo gave in and sighed. "Just get on with it."

Without a word, Heero did just that, picking the cloth out of the wound and moving it back. The blood wasn't flowing much, having thickened around the torn area, but it started when he pulled the cloth out. And Duo groaned, his head tilted to look down at the mess.

"Yep," Duo whispered, his face flushing, "he twisted it. That's really going to hurt later. Glad he's right-handed."

"He's not," Heero commented.

He held Duo's shoulder still as he moved the boy's arm so he could wrap the bandage around it. "Your face is going to be purple by morning."

"Eh?!"

Using Duo's distraction, he pulled the bandages tight, only a vague wince passing the boy's outraged features.

"There," said Heero. "You'll want to pour alcohol on it once the bleeding stops and pick out any threads that might be stuck in the tear."

His hand moved, taking a small packet from his pocket. Then he held up a little capsule. "Here."

"What is it?" Duo frowned, his gaze very suspicious.

That didn't look like something you got from a normal pharmacy. "I don't take drugs."

"It's a pain reliever and an antibiotic," said Heero.

"Really, and what else?"

Dark blue eyes blinked at him, and Duo sniffed, rolling his own eyes. "Come on, if it's a mix, there's more to it than that."

Wufei frowned. "It won't hurt you. The worst it would do is make you groggy."

"Oh, is that all?" Duo smirked, shaking his head firmly. "I don't want it."

"We don't know what might have been on that knife," Heero said. His voice was cold, but firm. "And it's the only drug I have that will serve as an antibiotic."

The boy sniffed at him and turned his face away, folding his arms over his chest. It was the movement that annoyed Heero the most, not the refusal. He'd already told him not to shift his shoulders.

"You're not moving until you take it."

"Watch me," Duo glared.

He pushed the boy back, barely wincing when his shoulder pulled. But Heero didn't budge, strong hands catching his wrists.

Eyes darting to the side, Heero nodded. "Wufei, hold his arms."

Wufei winced himself, discomfort visible on his face. "You aren't going to...to..."

A sharp nod was his answer and he grimaced, not paying any mind to Duo's wide, confused eyes. He stood and took the boy's wrists, wincing again when Duo struggled despite his shoulder.

"You're going to hurt yourself," he mumbled, keeping his eyes off to the side as he took up position behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" asked Duo.

His voice was hard, but instinctively quiet so he wouldn't wake Quatre. "Let go."

The one in front of him didn't answer, and his eyes widened when Heero put the capsule in his own mouth.

"Oh, hell no!" Duo blurted. "Do it and die!"

Dark blue eyes glinted at him, and he growled, clenching his teeth.

Heero couldn't very well force the boy's mouth open without pressing on the swollen cheek, and Heero gave a sympathetic wince when those violet eyes closed sharply.

Wufei was being careful to look in the other direction, making him want to smirk at the boy. Did he really think this was in any way romantic? Hardly.

He moved his free hand to close Duo's nostrils as he pressed their mouths together. And the boy's eyes snapped open, promising death in one extremely dark violet glare.

Holding his breath, Duo pulled harder on his hands, the back of his tongue pressing tight to block his throat.

If he got knocked out by some damn drug, how was he going to talk to Quatre when the boy woke up? As upset as the blonde had been about the encounter at the table, Duo knew he was going to be traumatized now. And even if he were just groggy, that would be enough for him to slip up and say something that could end up hurting his friend even more.

That capsule was pushed to the back of his mouth, and he felt his face heat up at the invasion. Oh, Heero was _so_ going to get it once they let go of him.

The stubborn American held out for nearly a minute before caving, and Wufei sighed when he heard the boy's rough breaths. He glanced back. Then he blushed and looked away quickly. Heero must have waited so Duo wouldn't inhale the pill instead of swallowing it.

The pull on those arms ended abruptly, followed by a slight 'hn' sound that told him it was over.

Moving back, Heero glared at the gray shadow his thumb had left in that dark bruise. "Trowa might have some lotion you can put on that so it won't hurt as much."

"Speaking of hurt," Duo hissed, jerking free of Wufei's lax grip, "you're going to wish you hadn't done that."

His right hand curled into a tight fist, and he looked the boy over. Where should he hit him first?

"Duo." Wufei shook his head, moving away from the two and catching the boy's angry gaze. "Nicholas is twisted, we already know that. I seriously doubt he'd keep his blade clean. If nothing else, this will keep your shoulder from getting infected."

"So you think that makes it okay?" Duo snorted, his glare latching back onto Heero's calm face.

"You plan to hit me?" asked Heero, raising an eyebrow at the wounded boy.

"Hell yes!"

Heero smirked. "Once only. If you attack me after that I'll immobilize you and claim self defense."

A slight flash went off in Duo's eyes, but he continued to smile at him.

Duo blinked when the boy dropped to a knee in front of him.

Heero was going to _let_ him? What kind of revenge would it be if he let him do it?

He glowered at Heero, his right hand twitching tighter. But he still wanted to deck him. The guy had just drugged him, and non-sexual or not, he'd put his damn tongue in-

"Well?" Heero prompted.

His gaze was steady, but he raised an eyebrow when the longhaired boy abruptly flushed.

"Shut up and move," Duo muttered.

Pushing the boy aside, Duo promised himself to repay him later, some time when he wasn't expecting it.

He stalked from the room and over to sit on the edge of the free bed. Trowa accepted his glare calmly, and he sighed. Duo looked past the boy, his gaze falling on Quatre's nearly hidden face. He'd certainly wrapped him up.

"Can he breathe through all that?" Duo teased.

"Yes." Trowa answered the teasing with a completely serious look. "It would have been better to strip him before wrapping him up in wet clothing. But he would react badly if he were to wake up that way."

"Yeah," Duo frowned, "I'm sure he would."

"As long as he doesn't shiver," Trowa continued, "he's fine the way he is."

The longhaired boy gave a vague nod, and Trowa looked past him. Heero and Wufei had come to lean near the open doorway.

They didn't speak, but Heero did pull the packet from his pocket, giving a significant nod to Duo, and then looking back to Trowa. The American didn't catch the motions, and Trowa dropped his eyes in agreement.

Silence held them for nearly twenty minutes. No one spoke until Duo sagged on the bed and had to be carried back to his room. That was one less thing to worry Quatre about when the boy eventually woke.

_- - -  
TBC_


	7. Part 7

**Author's Notes:** Short part, mostly dialogue and thought. But considering how long I've debated on Quatre's character in this fic, it's quite a milestone that I managed to get it written. The rest should flow better from here. Thanks and credit go to those who've poked and prodded me about this wanna-be-dead fic.

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU (alternate universe)  
_Warnings:_ minor angst, shonen ai  
_Pairings:_ 3plus4, will be 1x2, 3x4  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website: _www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Divide and Conquer**

_Part 7_

The first thing to register was dampness, his clothing felt wet and matted to him. It was an uncomfortable feeling that he twisted against instinctively. And he found his fitful movements hindered by the blanket wrapped around him.

Quatre made a soft murmur of protest, alerting Trowa where he'd fallen into a light doze on the opposite bed. By the time the blonde boy was fully awake, he found himself blinking bleary eyes at a familiar but unexpected form a few feet from him.

Trowa sat on the edge of the other bed, waiting. Pale bluish green eyes shifted past him to the dark bathroom door, and every last bit of color fled from Quatre's already pale face.

Quatre closed his eyes tight and turned his face back into the pillow beneath him, wishing fervently that he'd only imagined the shadowed boy sharing the room with him. And he waited, waited for the boy to say something. He must have had something to say or he wouldn't be sitting there.

_'Why is he here? Shouldn't it be Duo sitting there? Duo, who'd say some sweet thing about how naive and innocent I am, and how it wasn't my fault because I'm naturally weak and fragile, and that's what he likes so much about me, so he wouldn't have me any other way. He'd give me a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, and then he'd offer to hug me and I could smile back and say it's nothing, I'm okay. I was just surprised and he didn't actually do anything to me._

_'And it would be true. He didn't do anything I didn't let him do. I just stood there, obedient, submissive. I let him touch me, hurt me, and I didn't even try to struggle. All I worried about was which would hurt worse, and even I'm not that naive. Which is worse? Having his hands on me, or having more than his tongue inside me? I'm going to be sick..._

_'But...I'm not that stupid. I won't be that stupid. I could have fought back, hit him, screamed long before he shut the door on us. I could have, should have, but I melted into a pile of shivering limbs and cried. All of the things running through my mind and I just cried and - and..._

_'Is Trowa still sitting there...? Is he going to just sit there and listen to me whimpering into my pillow like some sort of - of victim or child or whatever he thinks I am now? What they all think I am now. And I was happy...excited and hopeful. All I was thinking about was having friends. They were all on guard and I was off in my own little bright world where nothing bad can happen. And when it did happen, I ducked my head and cried my way through it. And why doesn't he say something...?_

_'Is he just sitting and watching me hide my face? He doesn't have any reason to respect me, he never did, but what does he think of me now? Did they know what happened? Duo must have heard me scream, but do they have any idea how long I cried before I managed to make that one little bit of resistance? That I just shivered and whimpered and...obeyed... I didn't just collapse without a fight. I gave him my arms, turned on command. And if he'd hurt me again, would I have done what he wanted me to...? Would I have-_

_'No. No... I can't think of it or I'll be sick. I'll have to run to the bathroom and be sick with Trowa watching me like some sort of voyeur. Why is he just sitting there watching me? Why doesn't he say something? Anything! Unless there's nothing to say and that's why he's here instead of Duo, or even Wufei. What could I expect them to say to me aside from some uneasy promise that they still like me, weakness and all..._

_'I don't want to be that person. I saw them before, so aware of everything in the hall around them, ready for anything that tried to hurt them. And Duo, so confident and capable of watching out for himself. He'd never have cringed and put himself into a corner with his back to the person wanting to hurt him. He wouldn't have opened his mouth for-'_

"I don't know you."

_'Trowa. He really is still there, watching me and waiting for me to look at him. Watching me hide. Wondering if I have any courage at all when I'm too afraid to so much as show my face...?'_

"I can't judge someone I don't know. You can say anything and it won't make me look down on you. I don't have any preconceived notions about you, so you don't have to worry that you'll ruin my impression of you."

_'What is he saying...? That he doesn't know me so any impression he gets will be from how I act now? Now? Is he trying to make me feel even worse or...giving me a chance to prove something...? He won't judge. Of course he'll judge, everyone does. I judged Duo as a friendly, outgoing person who tried to hide the upset in his eyes, a smiling mask over his face. And Duo judged me right back as a nice, dumbly naive child who doesn't know any better than to hide behind anyone who'll protect him from the world. Because I certainly have proved I can't protect myself. I can't have friends, not real friends who trust and rely on each other, not if I can't even rely on myself. I don't want to be that person...'_

"If you want to be alone, I'll spend the night in the hall. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'm not here to spy on you."

_'He'd leave? Even just the room - he'd leave me alone after what happened...? Doesn't he think I need someone to hold me tight while I choke down my tears? Blaming myself and begging someone to promise I'm not tainted from this, that I'll always be pure and naive and innocent, protected and sheltered. That it wasn't my fault, I'm the victim of a dark sociopath who was playing with my mind. And of course I cried and whimpered, being frightened is natural for an innocent victim. I don't want to be that. I don't...'_

Quatre's hair had dried in messy tufts that hid his face, even when he pushed it a few inches off the pillow. He could see his bangs. He focused on them as he spoke in a dry, hollow whisper. "I don't want to be a victim..."

"No one does," Trowa agreed, his voice soft.

"I don't want to be coddled," Quatre said fiercely, glaring through blurring, angry tears. "I'm not made of glass..."

"Then you're not broken."

A small whimper choked in his throat, and Quatre swallowed it down, wiping his tears on his damp sleeve. He couldn't stop the fear, or the guilt and loathing he felt over his behavior. But he wasn't going to support it, either.

He forced his lungs to take a deep breath. Then he turned a little, the blankets still too tight to allow much movement. It was enough to let him look at the boy seated across from him. Steady green eyes met his gaze, calm and ageless.

"Are you going to ask me what happened?" asked Quatre.

"No..."

"Then why are you here?"

The blonde boy looked as if his soul were devouring him from the inside out, those wide pale eyes shimmering behind a veil of unshed tears. But his expression was locked in a terse, stubborn frown. Trowa let his eyes shift over the boy's tense shoulders, the cocoon of blankets, and the shadows behind him.

He let his gaze travel back to meet those bright eyes and offered a small, wistful smile. "I'm here to help, if you need it. I didn't think you'd want to wake up to an empty room. I wouldn't have."

Quatre's eyes widened in a bolt of confusion.

_'He's comparing himself to me? Does he - could he - honestly think I would react the same way he would if it were him lying here? If it were him, he wouldn't even be lying here!'_

Breaking away from that steady gaze, Quatre pushed on the blankets. It was an obvious distraction, but he really didn't want to be smothered on his bed like that. He crawled out of that tight wrapping and drew his damp legs up where he could have hid behind them if he chose to. It was a statement to himself.

_'I can hide my face just by ducking my head. And I'm not going to.'_

"Where's Duo?" asked Quatre.

"Sleeping, though not by choice. Nicholas hit him earlier, on his way out of here. Heero gave him a painkiller, so he'll be sleeping for a few more hours."

Quatre's eyes widened in sudden fear and disbelief. "Painkiller for a hit? How hard did he hit him?"

"His face will be very colorful tomorrow," said Trowa. "But the pill wasn't just for that. Nicholas stabbed him in the shoulder with his knife. It's not a serious wound, but there is a chance of infection. That's what the pill was for."

The words barely sounded after 'stabbed' met his ears. Quatre sat stunned.

_'He had a knife. Doesn't that mean? Even if I'd fought back, if he had a knife he would have used it if I fought back. They don't know I didn't fight back. They don't know I fell apart. And...he hurt Duo. I know it's my fault Duo was hurt, but...if he could hurt Duo, he could have killed me. It doesn't matter that I cried instead of fighting... He had a knife and I was completely unarmed and offguard. I never stood a chance.'_

"Trowa...?"

The taller boy blinked at him, his expression that same steady, unassuming look. This time Quatre appreciated how straightforward those calm eyes were. "Would you help me?"

"That's why I'm here," Trowa returned. "What do you need help with?"

"Can you teach me how to defend myself? I don't want to have to depend on everyone else to protect me..."

_'And if I find myself in a situation like that again, I'd have something to fall back on aside from my own tears.'_

Trowa raised an eyebrow at that, not because he didn't think the boy was capable of learning - Quatre was no smaller than Wufei or Duo - but because the boy had asked him. He glanced away with another of those small, almost wistful smiles.

"I'm not the best person to take lessons from," he admitted. "Heero and Wufei have martial arts skills, and Duo has his own streetsmarts he could pass on to you. I've never..."

He shook his head and glanced back at Quatre, letting the boy see his slight smile. "I don't think I would be a good teacher. I don't have that sort of skill with people."

"You don't have to be a teacher," Quatre said slowly, doing his best not to look away. "You can be a friend helping a friend."

A few seconds of watching Trowa's questioning expression, and Quatre ducked his head. He wasn't hiding behind his knees, he just didn't want the boy to see the dark blush that had heated his face. His words came out a little muffled when he spoke around that abrupt barrier.

"I can't ask Duo. He likes protecting me and...I think it would hurt him if he thought I didn't want to rely on him. He'd feel like he failed me. I could ask Wufei, but martial arts take years to learn and I'm, well, I'm not that graceful..."

"And Heero?" Trowa prompted.

"He makes me uncomfortable."

Trowa's eyebrows shot up, and he bit down on the words that flew to his mouth. Surely Quatre didn't think Heero would hurt him. His friend was quiet and abrupt, and often terse in nature, but he was still a very trustworthy friend and ally.

"You can trust Heero," Trowa said softly, tentatively.

Quatre blushed darker, hiding his face deeper into his damp knees. "It's not that..."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to glance up at Trowa, his eyes peeking over his knees. "I trust him. He just...makes me uncomfortable. It's stupid, I know. But I think if he tried to teach me something and I failed, I wouldn't be able to try again. He...he reminds me of my father...like he expects perfection that I know I can't provide."

A strange expression shifted over Trowa's face, and Quatre was surprised enough to lift his face a little more. Then the boy smiled, a quiet laugh breaking the dimness in the room. Quatre's eyes widened.

_'How can I possibly be thinking this?! Do I really want something else to cry about? I'm not his type, and even if I were - I can't possibly be thinking like this after what happened. I'd get sick if he ever tried to so much as - but I'm not thinking about that. It's...shock. Yes, and I'm out of sorts. He's being impossibly soothing, without smothering me or making me feel miserable about myself. So I'm just being nice in thinking this. He's very pretty when he laughs. There's nothing wrong with that. Duo's hair is pretty, too. That doesn't mean I'm insane to think it. It's just the truth.'_

"Heero _is_ something of a perfectionist," Trowa admitted, still giving that small smile. "But I can promise, if you failed to learn something the first time, he wouldn't let you quit until you mastered it. And if you did fail repeatedly, he'd blame himself long before blaming you. He expects perfection from himself, not from others."

"I'd still rather not ask him," said Quatre. "Unless you don't want to teach me...?"

Trowa lost his smile, his eyes shifting away again. He couldn't exactly admit that he'd do anything if it involved spending time with the boy. He was interested in him, pure and simple. And he really wanted to know him. He just didn't like the idea of hitting him - even if it was to teach Quatre self defense. He didn't think he'd be able to do that.

"It's not that I don't want to help," said Trowa. "I'm not sure I'll be able to. I'm willing to try, but-"

"You don't have to make any guarantees," Quatre said quickly. "Anything you could help me with would be wonderful. I...I couldn't do anything to help myself. I don't want to be in a situation like that again..."

"I understand."

And he really did seem to, the way he kept that sober, honest look. Quatre didn't know what to make of it. He was relieved not to be smothered in pity or pampering worry, but a small part of him wondered if Trowa even cared that he'd been hurt and terrorized. The boy didn't look worried or upset at all.

_'I don't want him to be upset and worried, of course I don't. I just...he doesn't look like he cares at all. And I don't know which would be worse, the idea that he doesn't know me enough to care, or having him coddle me and show that he does care. I think he does. He's been very...soothing. Why is that the only word I can think of to describe the way he makes me feel? Is it intentional? I don't know him, so I have no idea if he could be worried and hiding it inside. I can't tell. But...I like how soothing he is for me...'_

"Then," said Quatre, "after class tomorrow? I don't know how much space we'd need, but-"

"You want to go to classes tomorrow?" Trowa interrupted, his eyes narrow.

It was the first negative shift in the boy's expression. Quatre blinked in surprise and quickly looked away. Did Trowa expect him to hide in his room until the end of the semester?

"I thought you'd want to stay with Duo," Trowa continued. "Though it might be better if we alternate so no one else is out for more than a day at a time. Heero's going to report him as sick, so he can miss for a week without anyone coming to check on him."

That wasn't what Quatre was expecting at all. He let out a relieved breath - that Trowa didn't think he'd hide - and gave a worried frown. "I thought you said his injury wasn't serious!"

"It isn't," said Trowa, "but his face is going to be very noticeable. Everyone who sees him in the next week will know immediately that he's been in a fight, or attacked. There will be inquiries, and without outside witnesses, the Rauders could use it to their advantage."

"Then...he'll be staying in his room until the bruise goes away? What if it takes more than a week? I'm surprised Duo doesn't just make up some story to-"

"He doesn't know what we have planned yet," Trowa admitted. "He'll find out in the morning. And he can't just make up a story. No one here would believe his word against the Rauders, even if the three of us testified in his favor. We have no proof."

"I'll stay with him tomorrow, then. It'll give me a chance to practice walking without wincing."

Quatre offered a wry, hesitant smile. And Trowa frowned back at him.

"I have ointment you can use on the bruising," Trowa said seriously. "Heero has it right now, for Duo's face, but I can get it for you. It'll take the sting out."

The words brought Quatre's attention to his sore stomach, and he was very surprised to find that his shirt wasn't buttoned. It was folded closed, and it had dried that way, but it wasn't buttoned. Quatre abruptly blushed dark red, his expression almost mortified.

_'He looked at my stomach... The others, too? Just stripping me while I was unconscious? Did they...did they look at anything else?!'_

Trowa seemed to read his mind, having seen the furtive glance the boy gave his shirt, along with that horrified blush. He flicked his eyes away, a vague warmth rising to his own cheeks. His lips, though, quirked into a very slight smirk.

"Duo helped get you out of the tub," Trowa explained. "We didn't know he'd been stabbed at the time, so when we saw the blood we thought it came from you. I was looking for injuries, but I didn't pry."

Pry meaning he hadn't looked everywhere, Quatre's mind supplied. He blushed worse despite the relief that spilled over him. "Oh."

"Duo chaperoned the entire time," said Trowa, that twitching smile widening just a hair. "It was entirely appropriate."

"I understand," Quatre blurted.

He ducked his head, hiding his involuntary smile at the wry tone Trowa had used. If he'd wondered if Trowa cared about what had happened, he had an answer now. The boy was avoiding things that would make him uncomfortable. It was kind of him. But...

_'The way he glanced at me before looking away, and that smile... Maybe I am his type. But this is the most ridiculous time to be thinking about that. I should be throwing up, or crying, or...washing my mouth out with bleach. That's actually a good idea...too bad I don't have any. Fluoride will have to suffice.'_

"I need to change," Quatre said quietly, casting a tentative look at Trowa. "Are you...going to stay here tonight?"

"Unless you want me to get Wufei instead," said Trowa. "It's up to you."

Quatre knew the boy mentioned Wufei because Duo hadn't wanted him alone with Heero or Trowa. But now that it was up to him, Quatre had in idea he was better off with Trowa. Wufei would probably be intensely uncomfortable around him at the moment, which would in turn make Quatre feel horrible again.

He gave a quick shake of his head and shifted to the edge of the bed. A little wince passed his face at the ache in his stomach, but he ignored it as well as he could. "I'd like you to stay. Thank you."

Trowa nodded, his eyes steadfast as he watched the boy disappear into the bathroom. The moment the door was closed, he winced and dripped his gaze. His hands lifted from where he'd hidden them in his lap. He turned them, dark curious eyes shifting over the places where his nails had dug grooves in his palms. And he let them fall with a deep, shaky breath.

He'd learned a number of things in his life, and how to bury emotions was the first thing he'd learned. That innocent and fragile boy he'd wrapped up on the bed earlier that evening wasn't the one who'd just crossed in front of him. Quatre didn't want to drown in his pain, few people did. That was something Trowa understood very well, an attribute he held over even Heero, who was quite good at convincing himself he had no such pain.

But it was hard this time, almost too hard. Watching Quatre fight with himself, seeing the stubborn pride in those painfilled eyes... It was the sort of thing that could eat away at a person while pulling him in at the same time.

He wanted to sweep the boy up, kiss away his tears and whisper sweet compassion into his soft hair. And that, as natural as it seemed, was the last thing Quatre needed. It would break what little confidence the boy had left and leave nothing but a trembling wreck of emotions. Instead, he'd be someone to fall back on. Not the warm arm and protective companion Duo was, but a solid presence that would be there to help, but not to carry.

_'And I want to carry him,'_ Trowa thought. _'He doesn't deserve to have his innocence shattered in a single night. But I won't break him. If Nicholas didn't break him, I won't do it either. He needs a brace and encouragement to find his own strength. I can give him that. I'm lucky I have the chance...to give him that.'_

_- - -  
TBC_


End file.
